A Touch of the Exotic Comes to Torrance

The two Torrance farmers markets, on Tuesdays and Saturdays, are among the largest in the Southland. Each offers about 50 produce vendors--many of whom sell at both markets. Tuesday’s affair attracts lots of seniors and moms with strollers, while Saturday’s market gets more families out for a little shopping.

Shoppers flocked around grower Arnulfo Garcia of Kingsburg, Calif., at last week’s Tuesday market to see his unusual nectarines. Some years ago, he said, he discovered a mutation on a neighbor’s peach tree, a branch bearing distinctive nectarines with bronzed orange yellow skin and flesh, and spicy, old-fashioned flavor. These “mango nectarines,” as Garcia called them after he grafted some trees over to the new variety, will probably still be for sale, along with his first picking of Red Ace plums, an old Luther Burbank variety with blood-red skin and flesh. He also has round Flame grapes, one of the earliest varieties of the new crop from the San Joaquin Valley.

Another good stone-fruit farmer, Ken Lee of Orosi, Calif., sells Honeykist yellow nectarines, one of the best-flavored of modern low-acid types. He also sells Arctic Jay and Arctic Queen white nectarines, both very sweet when ripe, but a bit bland to palates accustomed to classic sweet-tart fruit. Soon he should be bringing in luscious yellow Flavor Queen Pluots.

Vilma Causey of Kingsburg has started offering Ichiban Nashi (“first pear” in Japanese), the earliest variety of Asian pear--crunchy, mildly sweet and refreshingly juicy. Soon she’ll have Shinseiki, a leading variety with bright yellow skin and firm, almost rock-like texture. Such pears last into winter, but have better flavor (because when first harvested they still have a tinge of acidity) in the dog days of summer, straight from the refrigerator.

Nora and Raul Rios of Fallbrook have fine Hass avocados, now at peak quality in several sizes and degrees of ripeness. Dan Hashiba of Orange brings black Japanese eggplant, pink low-acid Japanese tomatoes and mild green shishito peppers, which are typically stir-fried, grilled or used in tempura.

Toshi Goto and her sister, Yaeko, sell only at the Tuesday market, where they are considered a treasure by regulars for their splendidly fresh herbs and greens grown in Carson: among them, aromatic lemon basil, flowering oregano, French and Spanish tarragon and epazote. They also offer bunches of fresh shiso leaves for use in salads, as a wrapper and as a garnish.

Torrance farmers market, 2200 Crenshaw Blvd., between Carson Street and Sepulveda Boulevard, Tuesdays and Saturdays, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.