WHAT’S FRESH: BUYING OPPORTUNITIES : Pick a Pepper : Green, red, yellow--hot, sweet or tangy, these fruits of the vine can be had in the field.

The sweet pepper is full of surprises. It is a member of the Capsicum annuum family, which is an herb, but the pepper itself is a hollow, thick-skinned fruit. And while other members of its family are hot and spicy, sweet peppers are so mild and flavorful that they can be used in myriad ways--raw, baked, stuffed and sauted--for salads, side dishes and main dishes. And nowadays, coming in so many colors--green, red, yellow and even purple--they have become a staple of California cuisine.

Rick Brecunier, owner-manager of Tierra Rejada Ranch, which grows green bell peppers, said the plants can be difficult to germinate, so they are started from seed in the controlled environment of a greenhouse.

“After about four to six weeks, we’ll then set the plants in the field,” he said.

At this stage it will be about 72 days before the fruit of the plant has matured enough for harvesting.

Actually the green bell should be called the green/red bell.

“Left on the vine or given time after being picked, the fruit will turn red. The flavor changes somewhat--it will become even sweeter,” Brecunier said. “One thing about peppers is that it’s a long-lived plant. It will produce for some time as long as it’s watered sufficiently,” he said. “We started picking around June 20 and the plant will continue to flower ‘til September.”

The Tierra Rejada Ranch devotes one acre to a variety of peppers.

“One of the nicer peppers is a Yellow Gypsy--it has a real sweet flavor with a tang. Not hot. It also adds a bright color to salads,” Brecunier said.

Also grown is the slender Anaheim mild chili and the not-so-mild jalapeno.

The chief nutritional value of these perennial herbs is their high content of Vitamin C.

Grown exclusively for its roadside stand, Tierra Rejada Ranch offers consumers the chance to ‘pick-your-own’ peppers or buy off the shelf.

“Green bells are 80 cents a pound if you do the picking and $1 if we pick them,” Brecunier said.

The stand is at 3370 Moorpark Road, Moorpark. Call 529-3690.

Orange juice drinkers may be interested to know that the Valencia orange will be in season through the end of October and available at the C.R.O. Ranch, 3846 E. Telegraph Road, Fillmore.

“If folks are going to do their own juicing, Valencias are the best,” said Helen Romero, who works at the stand. “After the Valencia season we will have navels, which are great for eating, but we recommend the Valencia for juicing.”

Tony Thacher of Friend’s Ranches says the Hass avocado will be around for one more month. The next crop of local avocados, he said, won’t be available until the middle of December.

Friend’s Ranches is at 15150 Maricopa Highway, Ojai. Call 646-2871.