A Growing Family

The McGrath family has carved a wide swath in the county’s agricultural history over the last 130 years. There’s even a street or two and a state park named after them.

The first McGrath, an Irish immigrant named Dominick, began farming in the county in 1871, and McGraths have been growing food ever since.

Dominick had 13 children, most of whom became farmers. His great-grandchildren, the current crop of mostly farming McGraths, are Rick, Phil, Judy, Brian, Danny, Lisa, Roger, Colin and Roz, and all keep a hand in the family’s farming to a greater or lesser extent. Only Danny and Judy have left Ventura County--but only up the road to Santa Barbara.

“We all still have our hearts in farming in the county,” said Phil McGrath, who spends most of his days at the 300-acre Camarillo ranch / farm, which is fronted by the farm’s Central Market that faces the Ventura Freeway.

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“In the early part of the century, Ventura County was mostly dairy farming and cattle,” Phil McGrath said as he stood overlooking the acreage planted in everything from artichokes to zucchini behind Central Market. In fact, the family’s Channel Islands Harbor property was at first a dairy farm.

But as the San Joaquin Valley developed and prospered with dairy farming, the McGraths turned to row crops.

“It’s finally got to where today, it’s whatever you can grow better,” said Phil McGrath.

“Here in Ventura County, that’s strawberries, celery and lemons--the big three. And everything today has to do with how well something will hold up in shipping.”

Although his farm grows the big three, he has focused on quality instead of quantity, he said.

“This week we’re planting lima, green and wax beans, and soon we’ll plant zebra tomatoes, black tomatoes, rainbows, purples and brandywine tomatoes--they’re all heirloom tomatoes that taste the best by far.” Their yield is less, he explained, so they remain specialty strains.

The farm also grows eight varieties of organic lettuce year-round. On Thursday, romaine, green leaf, red leaf and red oak lettuce, all of which are picked from the fields behind the market twice a day, were $1 a head.

And even more than the farm’s lettuces, McGrath said, he takes pride in the farm’s Chandler strawberries.

“I don’t think anyone else in Southern California grows organic Chandlers.”

They are available at Central Market and at the dozen certified farmers’ markets at which McGrath Family Farms sell in Ventura and Los Angeles counties each week.

McGrath also showed enthusiasm for the Central Market kiosk: Shelling organic peas at a shelling machine near the cash register on Thursday were Nina Zafirova and Rosen Patov, two young exchange students from Bulgaria here for six months through the private Organic Internship Program based in Berkeley. Recently, two Hungarian students studied the McGrath style of organic farming, also for six months.

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In that same innovative spirit, McGrath said the farm hopes to start something called community supported agriculture this fall.

Individuals could buy shares in future crops, say, for $300 or $400, and when the crop or crops become ripe, that share of the produce will be delivered.

Small things excite him, even after all his years in Ventura County fields.

He can still be pleasantly surprised by simple changes: He recently began growing rows of flowers, like sunflowers or delphiniums, between his row crops.

“I tell you, I had no idea that growing flowers among the vegetables would be so beneficial to my other crops.”

For one thing, he said, they attract better bugs.

TIP OF THE WEEK

The organic candy cane--or striped--beet is a delight to look at when sliced, making for a pretty garnish on salads. When cooked, the candy cane tastes sweeter and milder than regular beets.