Do-it-yourself citrus pick is delicious and nutritious at Orcutt Ranch

Citrus lovers were invited to a do-it-yourself fruit pick on Saturday at Orcutt Ranch in West Hills.

Participants brought bags and fruit boxes to fill up with oranges and grapefruit, happy to leave with fruit that cost far less than if they had brought the fruit at a grocery store. A bag of fruit cost $3, and a medium-size fruit box cost $6. Customarily, the orchard picking event takes place in winter and spring on selected weekends during the year.

Orcutt Ranch is a horticultural center and community garden — one of three in the San Fernando Valley including the Sepulveda Basin Recreation Area, and the Sepulveda Garden Center in Encino. The three in the Valley are among seven sites run by the city of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks as horticultural centers and community gardens.

The 24-acre Orcutt Ranch, originally part of the 210-acre ranch owned by Union Oil geologist William W. Orcutt, became part of the City of Los Angeles Recreation and Parks in 1966 after it was designated on Jan. 22, 1965 as Los Angeles Historic-Cultural Monument No. 31.

Orcutt Ranch is at 23600 Roscoe Blvd. in West Hills. The ranch can be reached at 818-346-7449, or emailing orcuttranch.rental@lacity.org.