Don't Judge This Tangerine by Its Cover

If you’re looking for something out of the ordinary to eat, look no further than Rancho Padre’s farm stand at the Mar Vista Farmers' Market. 

Now is the only time of the year that you can taste its Golden Nugget tangerines, which appear lumpy on the outside, but are sweet and juicy on the inside. 

“We don’t have too many of these trees, so they’re only available for three or four weeks,” said Robert, a member of this family farm. People often think the Golden Nugget is ugly because of its bumpy exterior, but they're sold when they taste one, he said.

Rancho Padre specializes in growing small quantities of a wide variety of fruits. Robert showed me his fruit tree roster, which illustrates how the farm grows only about five to 15 trees of each variety of fruit. That way it can provide customers with unusual varieties that aren’t served up in supermarkets.     

Rancho Padre includes 12 acres of stone fruit trees to harvest summer crops of peaches, plums, nectarines and grapes. Several years ago Robert's father inherited 20 acres of citrus trees from his grandfather. Those trees now supply the farmers' markets with delectable winter/spring crops such as navel oranges, Golden Nugget tangerines, Oro Blanco sweet grapefruit and Ruby Red grapefruit.

Rancho Padre is certified organic by a USDA accredited company, and it picks its fruit for the weekend markets on the Wednesday or Thursday before. We Mar Vistans are lucky to have Rancho Padre at our farmers' market, as it travels to only six others around Los Angeles: Venice, Pasadena, Burbank, Alhambra, Temple City and Monrovia. 

It also produces organic unpasteurized juices, which sell out quickly when in stock. Robert says they plan to offer more juices at the markets soon.  Meanwhile, shoppers have a great selection of unusual citrus to choose from this spring, and should anticipate the arrival of stone fruits as the weather warms up.  

If you’re looking for a different way to eat juicy oranges and tangerines (other than with sleeves rolled up, fruit juices dripping over the sink) try this understated but delicious dessert from Morocco:

Peel a whole navel orange (blood orange or other citrus works too).  Crosscut in slices and place in a single layer on a salad plate. Sprinkle a high-quality cinnamon over the top of each slice.  That’s it! It’s simple, refreshing and very satisfying. Bon appétit!

Christy Wilhelmi is well known to many local Mar Vistans as The Gardenerd. Her website and blog at  www.gardenerd.com offers  information on classes, consulting and food-garden design.