Wacky in West Covina

Once rich in walnut and citrus groves, West Covina now is better known for its giant mall off the 10 freeway. Although modest in size, the nearby farmers market boasts several endearingly creative growers. Market manager Mike Taylor and his mother, Marsha, set the tone with their home garden offerings: outlandish Dragon Langerie beans with long, flat purple-striated pods (a.k.a. Dragon Tongue, although the Taylors call them “Dragon Lingerie”!); baskets of chiles, including Red Savina habaneros, the world’s most fiendish; and Osborne and Genoa figs, so ripe they split their skins and tasted like jam.

At the Cal Poly Pomona stand, lucky shoppers sometimes snare lychees and star fruit from the university’s experimental orchards. On Saturday, a student sold Golden Dorsett apples, Valencia oranges and Satsuma plums--the original red-fleshed variety, released by Luther Burbank 110 years ago and still tops for flavor. Ray Takemoto of Lindsay had Dapple Dandy Pluots, as well as classic Elberta peaches and Shinseiki Asian pears--round, yellow-skinned and crunchy, best eaten cold.

Lili Ying of Bih Shan Farm brought pristine shiitake and oyster mushrooms from Riverside. Tao Lee, a Hmong grower from Fresno, had jalapeno, Anaheim and Thai chiles, okra, lemon grass, Asian long eggplant, Filipino sinqua squash (two kinds, smooth and grooved), and the greens from chayote, bitter melon and yam plants. He also had chile leaves, with peppers still attached, for a naturally pre-spiced stir-fry!

West Covina farmers market, 200 S. Glendora Ave., at State Street, Saturday, 7:30 a.m. to noon.