`ENCHANTED GARDEN' OPENS FRUIT LOVERS DESCEND ON ORCUTT RANCH.Byline: CONNIE LLANOS llanos (yä`nōs), Spanish American term for prairies, specifically those of the Orinoco River basin of N South America, in Venezuela and E Colombia. Special to the Daily News Braving near-triple-digit heat, Dagmar Rydberg walked through the orchards of Orcutt Ranch on Saturday, seeking out only the ripest oranges. ``I like to have fresh fruit for my juices,'' the West Hills retiree said as she wiped her brow before testing the firmness of one of the oranges she had chosen. ``You gotta make sure it has the right color and the right texture,'' Rydberg said. For Rydberg, on her fifth visit to the city-operated ranch's annual fruit-picking weekend, not even sweltering swel·ter·ing adj. 1. Oppressively hot and humid; sultry. 2. Suffering from oppressive heat. swel heat could keep her away. ``I just get to the picking quickly and then go home and take a shower.'' Rydberg was among dozens of Valley residents scooping up the tree-ripened Valencia oranges and white grapefruit grapefruit, pomelo (pŏm`əlō), or pummelo (pum`məlō), citrus fruit (Citrus paradisi) of the family Rutaceae (orange family). by the bag- or boxful at the ranch, developed in 1921 as a vacation home Vacation Home A home separate from an individual's primary residence that is used for recreational purposes and may also be rented out at unused times. Notes: For tax purposes, those who rent their vacation homes may result in a lower amount of allowable expense for oil tycoon William Orcutt and his wife, Mary. Now a city-operated park and private orchard, the ranch opens its doors to the public every weekend after the Fourth of July Fourth of July, Independence Day, or July Fourth, U.S. holiday, commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. Celebration of it began during the American Revolution. . For many, the ranch -- with one of the last orchards left in the San Fernando Valley San Fernando Valley Valley, southern California, U.S. Northwest of central Los Angeles, the valley is bounded by the San Gabriel, Santa Susana, and Santa Monica mountains and the Simi Hills. -- represents a piece of lost history. Jeane Haining, a Canoga Park psychologist, said she always wondered what secrets were held within the ranch's green expanse. ``I used to think it was an enchanted en·chant tr.v. en·chant·ed, en·chant·ing, en·chants 1. To cast a spell over; bewitch. 2. To attract and delight; entrance. See Synonyms at charm. garden,'' she said. On Saturday, Haining left the fruit-picking session with five bags of fragrant white grapefruit. ``They're for my mom's sick friends,'' Haining said. As Blake Johnson, the lead senior gardener at the ranch, collected the meager mea·ger also mea·gre adj. 1. Deficient in quantity, fullness, or extent; scanty. 2. Deficient in richness, fertility, or vigor; feeble: the meager soil of an eroded plain. 3. earnings from the day's pickings, he emphasized that the event is not about the money. ``This is entertainment,'' Johnson said. ``Families get a chance to get out here and discover that orange juice doesn't come out of a can.'' ``You gotta sweat a little.'' Johnson said the ranch soon hopes to add some improvements, including a new iron gate and drainage system Noun 1. drainage system - a system of watercourses or drains for carrying off excess water system - instrumentality that combines interrelated interacting artifacts designed to work as a coherent entity; "he bought a new stereo system"; "the system consists of a , and he also wants to give the fruit-picking weekend a renovation. ``I am planning for a citrus fair,'' Johnson said, noting that it could feature more vendors and attract even more residents. ``It just gives families something to do in the San Fernando Valley.'' IF YOU GO: The annual fruit-picking event continues 7 a.m.-2 p.m. today at Orcutt Ranch, 23600 Roscoe Blvd., West Hills. A grocery bag of fruit costs $2, larger bags are $3, and moving boxes go for $4 to $5. Long pants and closed-toed shoes are recommended. Information: (818) 883-6641. CAPTION(S): 2 photos, box, map Photo: (1) Josephine Jones of Canoga Park tosses Valencia oranges at a nearby bag at Orcutt Ranch on Saturday. (2) A man, left, heads back to his car with a sack filled with white grapefruit at the Orcutt Ranch on Saturday. The West Hills ranch will be open today, too, for those who'd like to pick their own citrus fruit. Joe Binoya/Special to the Daily News Box: IF YOU GO (see text) Map: Orcutt Ranch Park |
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