Roadside Stand Produce Has That Sweet Smell of Success

Fruits and vegetables sold at roadside produce stands may not be cheaper than at the local supermarket, but most of the produce has been picked that day; this means not only that it’s fresh but also that it has been harvested at the peak of its sweetness and ripeness.

In the old days, when you wanted to buy the freshest produce, you would trek over to a nearby farm. But soaring land prices have all but spelled extinction for the urban farmer.

Still, a few hardy souls maintain their agrarian life style in the shadow of encroaching development. And freshness is what attracts most produce buyers.

“One of the reasons I go to produce stands is to get berries and corn that haven’t been artificially cooled,” Dawn Aulenbrock of Torrance said. “I’m willing to pay a little more to get the best quality. Fruit that is picked when it is ripe and ready to eat really tastes better.”

Other shoppers are attracted by the tranquillity of a field filled with waving corn or lush strawberry plants. Kym Valvieja, who grew up in San Pedro, drives out to Portuguese Bend every weekend to buy fruit and flowers at the two small produce stands that overlook the Pacific.

“It’s where we’ve always come,” she said. “My dad worked at Marineland for 20 years, so I guess it’s just a family tradition. Everyone out here is nice to talk to--the customers and the farmers who sell the produce. We come to get outdoors, to look at the ocean and the fields. It’s so relaxing. In the late spring, my sister and I always come out to buy a case of strawberries from Annie Ishibashi so we can make jam.”

Various members of the Ishibashi family farm in the Palos Verdes areas or next to the Torrance Municipal Airport. May and Mas Ishibashi farm 12 leased acres near Marineland. May sells bunches of flowers, green peas and Kentucky Wonder beans on weekends. Down the road at “Deliciously Yours,” Annie Ishibashi sells produce grown on her family’s farms located nearby.

Depending on what’s ripe, you might find berries, huge beefsteak tomatoes, peppers, cabbages, avocados, zucchini and butternut squash and bunches of flowers. In Torrance, at the edge of the airport, the family of Tom Ishibashi sells berries, corn, tomatoes and green beans. Their farm, which extends over 40 acres, once covered 150 acres of land.

Formerly a thriving farming area, the scenic Palos Verdes peninsula, like many other parts of Southern California, has been taken over by condominiums and homes. “Before the war there were 43 families farming out here,” May Ishibashi says. “Now there are only three families left.”

Tucked between apartments and offices on Vermont Avenue in Torrance, the stand of Cheino and Clarence Takaki is surrounded by several lush acres of strawberry plants. Here, as long as the crop lasts, you can buy freshly picked strawberries of all sizes, including the stemmed giants favored by gourmets.

At one time the San Fernando Valley was dotted with farms. Today, several remain in Chatsworth, a stone’s throw from the area’s high-tech industries. At Vellone’s Produce, father and son Frank and Bill Vellone offer the fruits of their 33-acre farm along with produce from other nearby farms. They specialize in vine- and tree-ripened tomatoes, cantaloupe, sweet corn, green beans and fruit.

Lillian Vellone, who works in the stand, says, “People come from as far as Marina del Rey to buy our produce, which is picked fresh several times a day. Our produce is not sprayed. You get to know your regular customers, who make a point to stop when they’re in the area.” Vellone says May is the peak of the season.

Across the street, the Vargas family sells a variety of produce grown on their 30-acre farm. At the Vargas stand, a rustic oasis shaded by oaks and eucalyptuses, you’ll find an exceptional assortment of chiles as well as the usual vegetables.

If you really want a day in the country, it is worth your time to drive to Somis, near Oxnard on California 118, an extension of the Simi Valley Freeway. The tensions of the city seem to decrease as you drive through verdant fields. From the town of Moorpark through Somis, fruit stands dot the road offering locally grown produce from the Oxnard area.

Strawberries are at their prime in May. You will also find all sorts of vegetables, including some locally grown miniatures. Large bunches of colorful mixed flowers from local fields are sold for $2 or $3 and will provide enough flowers for two large arrangements. From downtown Los Angeles you can make the round-trip in two to three hours.

Tom Ishibashi Farm, 24955 Crenshaw Blvd., at the edge of the Torrance Airport. Open daily from 10 a.m. until they sell out.

Deliciously Yours, Portuguese Bend on Palos Verdes Drive across from Wayfarers’ Chapel. Tuesday through Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

May Ishibashi flower and vegetable stand, Palos Verdes Drive near Abalone Cove, Saturday and Sunday as supply lasts.

Cheino Takaki’s strawberry stand, 23401 Vermont Ave., Torrance. Open 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. through mid-July.

Vargas Produce, 10751 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Open 8:30 a.m. to sundown.

Vellone’s Produce, 10730 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Chatsworth. Open daily until Sept., 11 a.m.-7 p.m.

L.A. Avenue Fruit and Produce Stand, 320 Los Angeles Ave., Moorpark.

Underwood Ranches, 5695 Los Angeles Ave., Somis. Daily 10 to 5. Miniature vegetables and small plants are specialties here.

Sergio’s Tropical Produce, on Somis Road just south of Somis. Open daily March to fall, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.