Pluots and Red Juice Radishes in Montrose

In summer, the agricultural section of the Montrose Family Festival swells into a fairly large, strong farmers market. Amid the produce vendors, most unusually, seven local merchants set up stalls near their stores, selling sandwiches, comic books and Scientology.

California’s cherry season is in full swing, and at Thursday’s market, Michelle Davis had tasty King cherries, one of the first varieties developed for the southern San Joaquin Valley. Her parents, George and Sylvia Simms of Visalia, grow them as a retirement hobby (he was an avionics engineer for Northrop), and sell no other crops. It’s always refreshing to see such a straightforward personal connection at a market.

Now that shoppers are getting familiar with the new Pluot hybrids (more plum than apricot), there’s a surge in availability of Apriums (also Zaiger Genetics crosses, more apricot than plum). Jim Van Foeken of Ivanhoe offered the Honey Rich variety, which seemed like elongated apricots with light fuzz, plum-like texture and more interesting flavor than so-so early-season apricots.

Miguel Cervantes of Santa Ana sold sweet Chandler strawberries and fresh veggies, including Blue Lake green beans, light-green striped Mexican squash, young turnip greens with their tiny baby turnips and huge red juice radishes (good for upset stomachs, and one can eat the greens too, said an Armenian American woman shopping at the stand).

Kahmiim Gufur of Van Nuys (Roots Brothers) sold several unusual kinds of organic sprouts growing in little plastic containers, including peppery arugula, fenugreek, mustard cress and wasabi. Gary Ondray of Squaw Valley had top-quality oyster, shiitake, cremini and portabello mushrooms, as well as refreshing apple juice. Bernardo Leinenweber, a cabinet maker originally from Valparaiso, Chile, sold wildflower honey gathered near Lakeview Terrace.

Montrose farmers market, Honolulu Avenue west of Verdugo Road, Thursdays 5 to 9 p.m., April through the week before Thanksgiving.