Rooting for a Bunch : Year-round harvesting provides an ample local supply of the Vitamin-A rich vegetables.

Above ground, this versatile vegetable resembles its bushy green cousin, parsley. But that’s where the similarities end. Beneath the soil extends a bright-orange, sweet root long known as a rich source of Vitamin A.

And because carrots are harvested year-round, fanciers can always enjoy an abundant, locally grown supply of differing varieties.

But according to Dean Walsh, president of Purepak in Oxnard, carrots are relegated to a minor role in Ventura County’s agriculture scene.

“The return is just not great enough for large-scale farming,” Walsh said. Exorbitant land costs in the county, he said, demand that most farmers aim for crops that bear premium returns.

Purepak is an organic grower of seasonal vegetables, including a number of carrot varieties. “The only threat deterring year-round production is if it rains continuously for long periods,” Walsh said. “It would make it tough to get out into the fields.”

Purepak grows “processed” carrots as well as a “fresh” market varieties.

“Two of the types we grow are the Imperator 58 and Danvers,” Walsh said. “Both are for processing.” Canned goods--such as soups--baby food, carrot juice and the like, all call for processed carrots.

Fresh varieties--including widely grown Imperator strains--call for finickiness on the part of growers. “They must have uniform growth,” Walsh said. Too large or too small means trouble for the grower. “You can’t do anything with them,” Walsh said, “except maybe sell them to someone with a horse.”

According to Steve Tamai, of Tamai Farms in Oxnard, “growers are always looking for the perfect carrot.” That not only means superb taste and uniform growth, but durability as well.

“During harvest, some carrot varieties are pulled from the ground by machine,” Tamai said. The vegetable may withstand a mechanical yank, said Tamai, but that doesn’t mean the consumer will tolerate the resultant chewy, fibrous carrot.

The family-owned Tamai Farms harvests by hand the fresh-market Nandarine variety. “Although they’ll grow more than a foot long, they taste best at about 6 to 8 inches,” he said. This “high sugar content” carrot is available at the Tamais’ roadside stand. “We used to grow about four varieties, but it’s been our best-selling carrot,” he said.

The Underwood Ranch roadside stand in Somis offers three varieties of baby carrots.

“The baby varieties are an actual variety of seed. It’s not that they are harvested at an early stage,” said Dee Helsel of Underwood Ranches. “They are grown for tenderness and are great for stir-frying.”

The Baby French--3 to 5 inches long--is sold in bunches with the tops attached, or peeled and bagged.

“We also have the Baby White,” Helsel said. “White carrots have a stronger flavor than the orange types.” Underwood’s Baby Planet are top-shaped “little stubbies” that have a very sweet flavor, Helsel said. “They’re only about an inch and a half in diameter.”

The carrot’s culinary versatility is tested daily at Ventura’s Classic Carrot Restaurant on Main Street.

“We go through a lot of carrots, probably about 100 pounds per day,” said co-owner Ann Catz. Besides salads and soups, “those are mostly used for our fresh carrot juice and carrot cake,” she said.

A lunchtime favorite among restaurant patrons is something called the “Carrot Supreme.” This creation calls for lots of shredded carrots--with a secret blend of herbs and spices--served on whole wheat bread and smothered with broiled, melted cheese. “It’s our trademark sandwich,” Catz said.

According to Steve Tamai, when purchasing carrots, color is key. “You want them to be a bright orange,” he advised. “The color tends to dull when they get older.” Carrots should be stored in a plastic bag and refrigerated. They can be kept for at least two weeks.

SERVING SUGGESTION / CARROT BREAD

8 large carrots, peeled

1 cup granulated sugar

2/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed

5 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

2 1/2 cups oil

3 3/4 cups flour

1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon cloves

Heaping 1/4 teaspoon allspice

Insert medium shredding disk in food processor. Cut carrots in even length to fit sideways in food chute and shred. Empty carrot shreds into large mixing bowl.

Combine granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs and vanilla in processor container. With motor running, add oil in steady stream within 30 seconds. Sweep container side with spatula.

Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and allspice. Add half the dry ingredients to processor and mix into batter with half-second pulses. Repeat to mix in remaining dry ingredients. Batter will be very thick.

Thoroughly fold batter into shredded carrots (mixture will be extremely thick). Divide carrot batter among three (6-cup) generously greased loaf pans, placing 4 cups batter in each pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in center is withdrawn clean. Cool, loosen breads from loaf pans and invert to remove. When breads reach room temperature, wrap in foil to keep fresh. Makes three loaves.

SAMPLING LOCAL PRODUCE

Tamai Farms roadside stand: Pleasant Valley Road and California 1, Oxnard. Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Underwood Ranches roadside stand: 5696 Los Angeles Ave., Somis. Open 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. daily. Call 386-4660.

PurePak has no roadside stand, but families can purchase a variety of organically grown vegetables at its warehouse in Oxnard. For more information, call 485-0041.