The Fruits of Their Labor : Agriculture: The time is ripe for plucking fresh produce from roadside stands. But behind the bounty is a lot of hard work, the sellers say.

Francisco Cardenas of Fillmore hits the fields at 5 a.m. to pick oranges and grapefruit for his family’s three roadside fruit stands along California 126 in the Santa Clara Valley.

James Barker, a partner in the Tierra Rejada fruit stand in Moorpark, often travels to Downtown Los Angeles at 2 in the morning to buy fresh fruits and vegetables.

And in Ventura, Ralph Sebastian, co-owner of a fruit stand on Victoria Avenue, starts his day by driving to Oxnard to buy fresh produce brought in from Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley.

The three vendors are among an estimated 70 peddlers and an unknown number of ranchers who operate fruit stands throughout Ventura County, said Robert Williamson, manager of community service for the county’s Environment Health Division, the agency that issues permits to vendors.

From country roads in the hills of Simi Valley and Fillmore to busy streets in Ventura and Oxnard, vendors display local produce daily as well as exotic fruits from as far away as Mexico.

“I think it’s wonderful that we have such a rich variety of fruit and vegetable stands around here,” said Simi Valley resident Lucille Carpenter, 78. “I can’t wait for them to open in the morning.”

For Carpenter, summer is the time when she takes daily trips to several fruit stands to buy locally grown tomatoes, apricots and berries, which she uses in jellies and sauces.

“I think they tend to be more expensive than the grocery stores, but that’s the price I have to pay for quality and freshness,” Carpenter said while shopping for corn at the Valley Farm fruit stand on Moorpark Road in Moorpark.

Vendors say it takes hard work to provide fresh products at competitive prices.

Cardenas, 39, a trained musician who later in life became a farmer, said that sales have decreased over the past year and his family has struggled to provide high-quality produce.

“The rains, the slow economy and even the Medfly have terribly influenced our business,” said Cardenas, whose family owns three fruit stands along California 126--Francisco Fruits, Cornejo’s Produce and Manuel’s Produce.

Cardenas’ father-in-law, Manuel Cornejo, began the family business in 1976 when he set up a small side-of-the-road fruit stand about five miles outside Fillmore.

Through the years, as the business flourished, Cornejo and his family bought 105 acres of land along the highway, where they grow Valencia and navel oranges, pink grapefruit, avocados, kiwis, Asian pears and tangerines, said Cardenas. He now operates Cornejo’s ranch.

It supplies about 40% of the variety of produce sold at the stands, Cardenas said. The remaining produce comes from other parts of California.

To succeed in a competitive market, Cardenas concentrates on growing the best oranges and grapefruit he can.

“We have seen an increase in the number of fruit stands everywhere,” he said. “So to be able to succeed, we strive to produce the sweetest oranges that you can buy along the highway.”

Offering a variety of produce also helps to maintain a clientele, he said.

At the 400-square-foot tent, which houses Francisco’s Fruits, Cardenas offers a variety of tropical items not usually found in the supermarket, he said.

Among them are tamarind, with an acid pulp used to make juices; four varieties of bananas including mazano , dominico , burro and plantano , and a large assortment of peppers.

“It’s a very tough market,” Cardenas said. “And to stay afloat we have to be creative, friendly and strive for the best product.”

Craig Underwood, whose family has been farming in Ventura County since the late 1800s, and James Barker, a recent British immigrant, went for the friendly approach when they leased a fruit stand and pick-your-own farm in Moorpark.

At Tierra Rejada Farms, owned by Rick Brecunier, visitors can buy a large variety of locally grown vegetables and fruits, as well as hit the fields to pick their own.

The self-serve farm--founded by Brecunier’s father-in-law, Monroe Everett--offers about 70 acres of crops, including radishes, eggplant, spinach, cilantro, broccoli, beets, garlic, fennel, corn, blackberries, strawberries and carrots.

Last week, Moorpark resident Patricia Guthrie, 40, brought her three children, ages 3 to 9, to spend a few hours picking food at the farm.

Strolling along beds of potatoes, Guthrie said she often shops at the farm, not only for the fresh produce but also to educate her children.

“They don’t really know what grows underneath the soil and what grows on the top of the soil,” said Guthrie, while showing her daughter Amanda how to pick carrots. “And they are more likely to eat the vegetables when they pick them.”

At the end of a nearly two-hour trip to the verdant fields, the group returned with bags filled with potatoes, carrots and green beans.

“It was much more fun than going to the pool,” said Nicholas Guthrie while dusting soil off his shoes.

Barker said his parents owned a pick-your-own produce farm outside London.

“It was a pretty brave business move for us,” said Barker, adding that this is the second season they have operated the fruit stand and the pick-your-own farm. “But customers get a lot of enjoyment out of it, and we hope we can keep it open.”

Although Barker and Underwood grow a large variety of produce locally, they too go to Downtown Los Angeles to buy produce that is either out of season in Ventura County or does not grow here.

This week about 30% of the produce sold at the Moorpark Road stand comes from Los Angeles, Barker said. Current crops are cantaloupes, cherries and watermelons.

In about three weeks, though, the county’s watermelons will be ready to sell. Heavy rains this year delayed the county’s watermelon season, Barker said.

“I think sometimes people have an illusion that all kinds of fruits and vegetables grow here year-round, but that is not the case at all,” Barker said, adding that the county’s strawberry season has ended, and now he sells strawberries grown in Bakersfield.

Nellie Carrillo, who owns the Piru Country Store with her sister, Helen Romero, said the majority of her customers come from Los Angeles to buy fruit in Ventura County.

“People come over here for the oranges, but a large number just want to experience the feeling of being in the countryside, buying fresh fruits and vegetables,” said Carrillo, who has operated the stand since 1979.

For Stacey Mayfield of Valencia, the drive on a two-lane road to buy produce is as enjoyable as eating a juicy plum.

“I don’t know if it is an illusion, but the fruits seem fresher and better,” said Mayfield, filling up a basket at a fruit stand near Fillmore. “It’s a much more satisfying experience to shop here than in a supermarket.”