WHAT’S FRESH BUYING OPPORTUNITIES : A Citrus Cousin : Handpicked and taste-tested, Tierra Rejada Ranch’s Marsh White fruit is ripe for harvest.

Although not one of Ventura County’s major cash crops, this is the time for locally grown grapefruit--that sweet and tart, Vitamin C-laden breakfast staple.

Once grown on a much larger scale in this county, the cousin of the orange and the lemon is now being produced in greater quantities in other regions, particularly Florida and Texas.

According to Rick Brecunier, owner-manager of Tierra Rejada Ranch, now that grapefruit is harvested “one crop per season,” the summer months provide a window of opportunity for Ventura County farmers. “This is one of the few areas in the country where grapefruit is available during these months,” he said.

“We harvest during June, July, August and sometimes into the beginning of September.”

Brecunier explained that the larger growers around the country will harvest just before or after the picking season in Ventura County.

And once harvest time arrives, “all of the fruit is handpicked,” he said, “and just like all other citrus, grapefruit is picked in a ripe condition--it won’t ripen off the tree.”

When harvested, the fruit is clipped at the stem, not pulled off the tree, to spare the branches added stress.

And instead of doing a laboratory test to determine the sugar content level, “we simply do a taste test to determine its readiness,” Brecunier said.

He said most grapefruit grown in California is harvested with the intention of selling to the wholesale fresh fruit purveyor because it commands a higher return than fruit sold for juice.

“What the farmer can’t sell fresh will be sold for juice, but it will be at a much cheaper price,” he said.

As with all citrus crops, a farmer’s biggest fear is that Jack Frost will come blowing through one freezing winter’s eve, wreaking havoc in the groves.

“We combat frost utilizing wind machines which keep the air stirring and mixes the warm and cool air,” Brecunier said.

“Wind machines are OK for temperatures dipping in the 30s, but when it reaches down in the 20s--nothing will help.”

What about the use of oil-burning smudge pots for frost protection?

“The price of fuel and the air pollution they emit have rendered these unfavorable to use,” Brecunier said.

No less of a crop-damaging force is the pesky aphid and the red spider. To combat these and other harmful creatures, biological warfare is employed.

“We have a pest control adviser come out every couple weeks and he monitors the level of activity of both the beneficial and unbeneficial insects,” Brecunier said.

One of the beneficial insects would be the ladybug with its insatiable appetite for other bugs.

Since Tierra Rejada Ranch’s one-acre grapefruit orchard is biologically controlled, with the help of the ladybug, Brecunier said there has been no need to spray insecticides on the grove for quite some time.

The general life span of a grapefruit tree is upward of 50 years.

“After that the production goes down and the trees become too tall and suffer from overcrowding,” Brecunier said.

At that stage, the trees are removed and the farmer has to decide whether to go with an entirely different crop or replace the grove with younger trees, which can be costly.

“It will be about five years before the trees produce enough fruit for a substantial harvest and another 10 before you make any money to get a return on your investment,” Brecunier said.

Tierra Rejada Ranch offers the Marsh White variety of grapefruit.

“We’re selling them for 45 cents apiece. Some of the smaller ones are selling for 10 for $3,” he said.

The pink varieties of grapefruit, Brecunier said, need a warmer climate to obtain their ruby hue and generally aren’t grown in Ventura County.

And that bitter taste inherent to grapefruit--any way of avoiding it?

“That taste is in the membrane of the grapefruit. The only way around that is to slice it in half and spoon it out.”

Brecunier also suggested using grapefruit in salads.

“Try a citrus salad. Slice it up with some other fruit--like oranges and apples--and some avocado, and add a green leaf lettuce with a sweet tasting salad dressing.”

The Tierra Rejada Ranch produce stand is at 3370 Moorpark Road, Moorpark, and is open daily 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Call 529-3690.