$1 a Bag, $2 a Box for Citrus You Pluck at Orcutt Ranch

If you’ve been hankering for a day in the country and want to pick all the citrus fruit your heart desires for the rock-bottom price of $1 a grocery bag, $2 a full field box, Orcutt Ranch Park in Canoga Park should be on your activity list this weekend.

Also known as Rancho Sombra del Roble (Ranch of the Shaded Oak), Orcutt Ranch originally was the summer home of William Orcutt, discoverer of the La Brea tar pits and pioneer Los Angeles oil developer. Now managed by the L.A. City Department of Recreation and Parks, it boasts one of the few working orchards in the San Fernando Valley, according to senior gardener Ray Ramirez.

Based on past experience, Ramirez expects more than 1,000 people to show up for the pick-a-thon this Saturday and Sunday at the ranch at 23600 Roscoe Blvd. Many people, armed with A-frame ladders and metal pickers, will line up before the 8 a.m. opening time. You can rent pickers, but tree-climbing is prohibited. Park assistants will be on duty, and a jitney service is available between the ranch parking lot and orchards.

“Heavy picking relieves stress and promotes better growth for the trees,” Ramirez said. And the public comes away with more than the booty of low-cost citrus, generally used for juice. “I think the main reason for participation is a kind of nostalgia people have for their childhood when they could pick in orchards,” Ramirez said. “I’ve noticed a lot of people remember this place when they were kids.”

It’s also nostalgic to explore the sprawling Spanish-style house, with its thick adobe walls and tile accents, which William and Mary Orcutt began building in 1920. Now designated a Los Angeles historical monument, Orcutt Ranch has formal rose gardens and a small nature trail--in addition to 16 acres of citrus. Visitors can meander at leisure, identifying unusual shrubs and trees such as the Purple Lily Magnolia; the Lady Palm, native to the Orient, and the Bunya Bunya, an evergreen indigenous to Australia, whose cones weigh up to 15 pounds. There’s also a spectacular Live Oak measuring 32 feet in circumference, believed to be 700 years old.

The grounds and patio area are open to the public from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day except holidays. Docent-led tours are conducted from 2 to 5 p.m. the last Sunday of every month, except July and August.

For information call (818) 883-6641.