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Home > OUR RANCH
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Tierra Rejada Ranch was founded in the Tierra Rejada Valley of eastern Ventura County by Monroe & Eldon Everett in 1935. At that time it was being "dry farmed" producing such crops as barley and black-eye beans. With the discovery and development of underground water wells, in subsequent years, the Everett brothers were able to grow more profitable crops such as tomatoes, sugar beets, and lima beans. In 1941, valencia oranges were planted and Eldon decided to leave this property to farm in northern California. Monroe began planting English walnuts in 1947. The first avocados were planted in the sixties. At that time there were many different varieties of avocados being tried such as Nabal, Ettinger, Zutano, Fuerte, McArthur, Bacon, Hass, and Rincon. Each variety had its good points and deficiencies as to fruit quality, tree vigor, and production. Over the succeeding years most of these varieties have disappeared from the market with the Hass variety becoming dominant. There are many who would say that Fuerte variety is still the best tasting avocado but it has a short season and it's appearance is easily confused with less flavorful varieties such as Bacon and Zutano.
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| At Tierra Rejada Ranch there are now approximately 25 acres of mature trees mostly of the Hass variety but also with a few acres of Bacon, Fuerte, and a newer variety called Pinkerton. There are also a few trees of the Gwen variety and a couple of McArthurs. All of the trees are irrigated by individual mini-sprinklers. In general, the trees flower in the spring producing a crop in the following year. A lot can happen in the year the fruit is on the tree. Damaging winds, cold weather, hot weather, and several pests that have recently become a problem are a few of the things growers have to deal with. Harvesting is done by hand with each individual fruit stem clipped near the top of the fruit. Avocados are unusual in that they do not ripen on the tree. It is only after picking that the fruit begins to soften and become edible. There are state of California regulations which determine the beginning of the harvest season for each variety according to fruit size and oil content. These standards are designed to ensure that the consumer will be satisfied with his or her purchase. Naturally, in our opinion, California avocados are superior to those grown in other countries. In recent years, both Mexico and Chile have become important suppliers of avocados in the U.S. market place. Both of these countries have to deal with transportation issues which can sometimes affect both the appearance and flavor of their fruit. Avocados from Tierra Rejada Ranch will be picked and shipped from our orchard directly to your door.
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