THE AGRICULTURAL HERITAGE : FULLERTON : Market for Fresh Goods Is Growing

Every Wednesday morning, Daniel Hashiba packs up his truck with crates of lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries and whatever other crops are in season on his five-acre farm in the city of Orange.

Hashiba heads for the Fullerton Certified Farmers’ Market at Woodcrest Park, where he joins 39 other vendors selling everything from home-grown herbs to organic honey and bonsai trees.

The lettuce and vine-ripened tomatoes Hashiba sells are not unique but he is: Of the 40 farmers at the market, he is one of just two from Orange County.

“I took over for my parents 16 years ago,” Hashiba said. “We used to farm more but it’s harder to find the land to lease. (Farming in Orange County) is sort of a dying thing.”

Hashiba’s observation is supported by figures compiled by the Department of Agriculture.

In 1972, there were 14,750 acres of orchards in the county.

That figure dropped to 10,000 in 1982 and was down to 7,100 last year.

Vegetables were grown on 8,433 acres last year, down from 14,180 in 1972.

Two major factors in the decrease in farmland are increasing land values and demand for housing.

But one segment of the agriculture market has actually benefited from farms being turned into housing tracts: nursery stock.

Flowers, ornamental trees and plants, potted plants and sod make up the best-selling crops in Orange County.

Last year, nursery stock accounted for more than half of the county’s total income from agriculture.

While local farms have dwindled, the popularity of the county’s two farmers’ markets have continued to grow.

To meet the demand, farmers from San Diego to Fresno truck in vegetables, citrus, honey and other produce.

According to Mona Amoon, manager of the Fullerton market, that facility has grown from a handful of vendors in 1981 into a thriving operation that draws about 1,000 shoppers every Wednesday.

Some are attracted by the prices, which are generally lower than in supermarkets.

Others think the produce sold here is higher in quality.

“Would you look at these grapes,” said one man to his female companion, gently hoisting a bunch of red grapes. “Each one is perfect.”

At Hashiba’s stand, two women admire the large heads of lettuce he has on display. His mother, Asano Hashiba, tells the women the price.

“Oh, that’s low,” the woman said to her companion. “We’d pay double that” at the grocery store.

Mary Lou Lorenzini, who manages the Orange County Farm Bureau farmers’ market at the Orange County Fairgrounds, said that 35 to 40 farmers show up every Thursday to sell produce.

“It’s become very popular with buyers,” Lorenzini said. “We don’t keep track of numbers, but it’s always very crowded here.”

The Farm Bureau is considering adding a Friday night market in Huntington Beach. Over the summer, a trial market was very popular there, Lorenzini said.

The Fullerton Certified Farmers’ Market runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Woodcrest Park on Orangethorpe Avenue.

Orange County Farm Bureau’s Farmers’ Market runs from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursdays at the Orange County Fairgrounds.