Watch on the Rinds : Tangelos, tangerines, kumquats and limes aren't a large cash crop in the county, but find favor at roadside stands.

By RODNEY BOSCH

Jan. 16, 1992 12 AM PT

TIMES STAFF WRITER

While citrus staples remain some of Ventura County’s biggest cash crops, a few unsung hybrid cousins are quietly thriving on small plots.

Although not as prodigious as the orange, grapefruit and lemon, these “specialty” citrus types during harvest season have area roadside stands bustling with enthusiasts filling orders.

Moorpark nurseryman C. Mavro Warren was one of the first to start a commercial specialty citrus operation in Ventura County. In the late 1930s, Warren purchased some land in the Piru area with the hope of opening a nursery. His plans changed, and today the near-40-acre parcel is the home of Tangelo Rancho.

Now owned and operated by son Vic and his wife, Jeanne, the Warrens still harvest the bounty from some of the ranch’s first trees. “He started with seven varieties,” Jeanne Warren said recently. Besides oranges and grapefruit, the inaugural planting included various tangerine hybrids and the tangerine-grapefruit cross, the tangelo.

Over the years, the Warrens have supplemented C. Mavro’s grove with different hybrids and continue to attract a clientele seeking varietals not normally carried by grocers.

“We don’t deal with the chain markets,” said Jeanne Warren, who explained that certain tangerine hybrids are too delicate for bulk commercial production. “They are very sensitive fruits and growing a reliable crop can be tough.”

Two of their more popular tangerines are the smallish Owari Satsuma seedless mandarin and the Kinnow mandarin. The Owari is harvested during the winter months; the Kinnow in the late spring and early summer.

“Each has its own particular sweet taste,” she said, adding that the skins are very different too. “The Owari has a ‘zipper skin.’ It comes off very easily.” The Kinnow has a tight skin. “You don’t have to remove its thin skin,” she said, “and since they don’t grow very big, people just pop’em in their mouth.”

The Satsuma seedless mandarin is particularly popular in some cultural circles this time of year. The dainty fruit is an important part of celebrating the Chinese New Year, which is observed in February.

“It’s a good-luck charm,” Warren said. Chinese people “place them around the home in each room.”

According to Tony Thatcher, manager of Friend’s Ranches in Ojai, the fruit must be harvested with long stems and leaves still attached if it is to be used as part of the Chinese New Year tradition. Friend’s Ranches grows the seedless Satsuma mandarin and other citrus varieties.

And just what is a tangelo? According to Thatcher, it is the end result of crossing grapefruit and tangerine varieties. Tangelo Rancho is just beginning to harvest its crop, while Friend’s Ranches’ fruit won’t be ready until about the end of February.

“The grapefruit part of it makes them a little juicier and tangy,” Thatcher said. Inside, the pulp is a deep red color. “They’re a wonderfully sweet and very juicy fruit,” Jeanne Warren said.

At Friend’s Ranches’ roadside stand, you’ll find about 12 different varieties of tangerines this time of year. “The variety you see in the stores are mostly the Dancy,” he said. “But the up-and-coming one is the Pixie.” Thatcher predicts that this seedless variety will unseat the Dancy in the not-too-distant future. “It’s just extremely tasty,” he said.

Another citrus that is relegated to specialty status in Ventura County is the lime. Competition from other areas--mainly Mexico--discourages most citrus growers from going into commercial lime production.

“Unlike other citrus, there’s really only one variety of lime grown,” said Santa Paula grower-packer Mike Shore, “That’s the seedless Bearss Lime.”

He said a dozen growers raise limes on about 40 Ventura County acres. Shore is the largest lime packer in the area. “Most limes I sell wind up in margaritas or in fresh lime juice,” he said. “In fact, limes are mostly used for drinks and beverages.”

According to Shore, the lime market exploded with growth in the early ‘80s, riding the coattails of a successful beer brand’s marketing campaign.

“Corona beer has been terrific for the lime market,” he said. The beer is always served with a wedge of lime. “Now everybody is squeezing lime juice into their beer.”

Shore--who offers limes and other varietals at his roadside stand in Santa Paula--says the tangy fruit is more versatile than simply as a bar condiment. “Limes can be used wherever lemon is called for,” he said. “Squeeze them into tea, over fish--it can even be used as a salt substitute.”

He suggested using lime juice and dill for a “terrific marinade.”

The tiny, oval kumquat--eaten whole, skin and all--is also offered at Shore’s roadside stand and at his stall at the Ventura farmers’ markets. “There aren’t many around,” he said. “It’s a very labor-intensive fruit to raise. But we always sell out. They have a very loyal clientele at the farmers’ market.” You’ll have to wait until March to procure kumquats.

The Saturday Ventura County Certified Farmers’ Market has found a new home.

According to market Manager Karen Wetzel, the outlet will move a couple blocks east this week to the corner of Santa Clara and California streets.

“The lot is bigger and allows us more space,” Wetzel said. “It’s also a much higher visibility area for us.”

The hours of operation will remain the same: 8:30 a.m. to noon weekly. The former site was at Santa Clara and Figueroa streets.

ROADSIDE ATTRACTIONS

The following is a list of roadside stands offering a wide variety of citrus fruits.

Friend’s Ranches

15150 Maricopa Highway, Ojai

8 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily

646-2871 or 646-6765

Tangelo Rancho

California 126, Piru