FRESH FROM THE FARM IS BEST, SAY PRODUCE-STAND CUSTOMERS.

Byline: Kerry Cavanaugh Staff Writer

This being summer and Angelenos being human, there are a few seasonal treats the body desires: soft sand underfoot, a swim in salt water, shade of big tree and the taste of a really red, really ripe tomato.

Los Angeles has ample supply of beaches and picnicking spots, but fewer opportunities to buy crisp, just-picked corn; sun-warmed melons that exude their own perfume; and, of course, the one-of-a-kind flavor found in a vine-ripened tomato.

Many city-bound souls devoted to these summer jewels trek to large farming communities, such as Oxnard or Filmore, for their fix. But there are a few spots in the San Fernando Valley where farmers grow and sell their own produce amid the houses, freeways and shopping centers.

Take Forneris Farms in Granada Hills. Farmer John and his wife, Barbara Forneris, grow corn, tomatoes, squash, peppers, strawberries and plenty more in rows between the San Fernando Mission and the 405.

This time of the year, they're open every day in the plywood stand, selling to their neighbors and their regulars who travel for their treats.

Maria and Ray Kilby drive from Simi Valley to stock up.

``It's the beauty and the freshness of the produce - there's no place like this,'' Maria Kilby said Saturday while paying for several brown bags of goodies.

The retired couple used to shop at the farm stands in Simi Valley, but most of that land now has been paved for homes and businesses. ``They're building over all this beautiful food,'' Ray Kilby said sadly.

John Forneris is a third-generation farmer who has been at it for 37 years now, his wife said Saturday, arranging tomatoes at the stand.

It's a little ironic, Barbara Forneris said, that farm stands are becoming more rare in the city, at the same time people are becoming more health-conscious and seeking the fresh produce such stands provide.

There's also the taste factor.

``People are longing for a home-grown tomato,'' Barbara Forneris said.

Across the Valley, Alex, 9, and Jessica Ibanez, 11, were salivating over the baskets of strawberries and plums at Tapia Brothers Farm next to Sepulveda Basin.

``They're fresh-picked!'' said Jessica, joyously describing the strawberries of summer, while she clutched a bag of raspberries.

Farm owner Tom Tapia also comes from a family that has long farmed the San Fernando Valley. He grows all his own vegetables and buys his tree fruit from California farms.

It can be rough competing against the supermarkets. But people find him when they want a real summer tomato or ear of corn just off the stalk.

``They know all the stuff is fresh, home grown right here,'' Tapia said, pointing to his farm field alongside the 101 Freeway. ``You know, they can see the fields.''

It's also a mentally satisfying experience to visit farm stand, some customers said. It's a step back in time. It reminds people of childhood, of carefree summers and dinners outside, said Mark Rubin, an Encino resident shopping at Tapia Brothers Saturday,

``You can't have the vacation like when you were a kid, but at least you can have the psychological vacation by eating the same food.''

Kerry Cavanaugh, [phone]

kerry.cavanaugh(at)dailynews.com

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Photo:

Barbara Forneris, right, gives a customer a sample of green beans at her family's produce stand in Mission Hills.

Michael Owen Baker/Staff Photographer