Gless Ranch

Who would've thought that one of the most famous citrus groves in Riverside, California came into existence because of a long-shot $100 bet?! Believe it or not, that's just a little part of the story of how Gless Ranch came to be! Daring to dream a dream so big it caused others to laugh, John J. Gless aspired to pioneer citrus farms on an acreage of land in Riverside known to be unsuitable for growing citrus. Apparently, his dream seemed so crazy that in the 1960s an Orange County farmer challenged Mr. Gless to a $100 bet that the citrus would never be viable...but guess what? Mr. Gless won the bet, & the rest is history! He eventually turned one (1) grove into a huge family-operated farming operation of oranges, tangerines, grapefruits, limes, dates, avocados, & figs, & later opened the beloved Gless Ranch Market & the California Citrus State Historic Park. Surrounded by beautiful citrus groves, Gless Ranch Market on Van Buren Boulevard (remodeled again in 2017 from a humble stand) is always a treat to visit when in the Riverside area. With a friendly & helpful staff, they offer not only standard fresh fruits & vegetables, but also specialty fruits like large California Keitt Mangos, Pink Lemonade Lemons, honeys, hard-to-find jams, spreads, & salsas, candies, flavoured popcorn, beer & wine, specialty items, & gifts. Although our most recent purchase of Cara Cara oranges was disappointing due to mold on several oranges in the bag, for the most part our purchases from Gless Ranch over the last 20+ years our family has been visiting have been wonderful & we have enjoyed very fresh fruit & treats to take home & share with others.If you're visiting the Riverside area, be sure to stop by Gless Ranch Market.

Oh wowowooowoww, this is my newest favorite place in all of Riverside and I can't wait to return! I travel for work and was telling my Riverside colleagues that, as a Chicagoan, I really wanted to see a lemon tree while working in Riverside. Someone mentioned this shop- that is connected to the orchards- so I drove 30 minutes after work to see a real citrus tree!! I know that must sound funny to someone who lives in CA and gets to see lemon, lime, and orange trees all the time, but I promise the ONLY ones we have in Chicago are in conservatories. You don't see them in their natural state. So I was absolute thrilled to get to see a real orange grove and then I bought about $100 worth of amazing souvenirs to bring home! I would have bought more, but I only had a carry-on for luggage and you can't bring more than 4 ounces on the plane, so I had to skip the honeys and other liquids. I bought an orange beer and drank some of that, even though I don't typically drink alcohol. But I was so curious about orange-flavored beer! The fresh orange juice was OUT OF THIS WORLD, oh my. Best OJ I've ever had in my whole life. I would drink that every day if I could. I also bought a blackberry cobbler that made the BEST PB&J sandwiches, so I ate a bunch of those this week since the cobbler wouldn't fit in my luggage. Loveliest counter person in the world, too!! We had a nice chat about Chicago. I felt so welcomed and the workers invited me to take a wander in the pretty grassy grove near the orange trees. This is one beautiful shop and such a cool place. I will definitely return next time I'm working in Riverside. Thank you, Gless Ranch!! Everyone loved their souvenirs, especially the fresh fruit, Amish popcorn, pink sea salt, peach/pear dried fruit, and minty lip balms.

The customer service = 0 stars. The produce and cute shop = 4 stars. I've been coming here for about 20 years, since before it was completely renovated to what it is now. It's a stop I make when visiting Riverside National Cemetery. It's a really nice place. The gifts are very cute but a little overpriced - there are lotions, lip balms, ceramics, bags and lots more. The candy, treats, jams, snacks, etc.. are a great variety. The produce is good and reasonably priced, comparable to a regular supermarket. Everything is clean and organized.The last few times I went, the employees were very unfriendly - not even a quick greeting or smile when I walked in. It wasn't busy and they looked right at me and just continued their personal conversations. Very unprofessional and snobby!A customer was looking at the oranges and started walking up to them with a question. One of the employees just yelled "which table did you get them from?" And continued yelling questions and answers to him, instead of going towards him or towards the oranges he was looking at. She was too lazy to step away from the counter and her personal conversation to properly help the customer.

I stop by here all the time form the Riverside National Cemetery. I always buy the $5 5lb grapefruit bag. It's a steal. Some of the sweetest grapefruit I've ever had. The orange bag is a great deal too but it's inconsistent. Sometimes I get a bag that's super juicy and sometimes I get oranges that are just ok. The grapefruit though, is always consistent. There's other "touristy" type foods here you'd find at a gas stop on the highway that's all just ok. Their beer isn't bad. That Mexican food they sell prepacked fresh? It's just ok. But their chips and salsa really aren't bad.

I love Gless Ranch! I mean, what's not to love?!They have THEE BEST ORANGES in town from Navel to Cara Cara to Blood Oranges. You can tell the difference between fruits ripened on the tree versus those picked prematurely and sold at markets (left to ripen then).Gless Ranch is located on Van Buren Blvd. and Barton Rd. in southeast Riverside near the Mission Grove and Orange Terrace communities. I've seen Gless Ranch grow from a small produce stand to now like a specialty market. It's a one-stop shop when you want to give friends or loved ones something that's fresh - and something that's local!At Gless Ranch, they have a variety of citrus available in various sizes, proprietary jams, dried fruit, nuts, candy, fresh produce, salad dressing, freshly-squeezed oranges, specialty breads, and even some of their very own Gless Ranch beers! They even have other items for gift-giving like bags, soaps, stationery, and customizable gift boxes!Gless Ranch is truly a local gem! What's even better than that are the people that work there - they are the friendliest! For example, I had a wonderful conversation with one of the employees on their avocados. I am very picky when it comes to avocados and she understood me when we talked about creamy vs non-creamy avocados and thready, pulpy ones (yuck). Can't go wrong with their avocados here and the worker sure knows it as well as I do - they have one or the best!Oh and this little market is always clean when I visit. It is well-kept and organized. Nothing is dusty or expired. I love that they maintain their products.On some weekends, they'll have vendors selling products from BBQ to beautifully crafted greeting cards and other crafts - my kind of place!It is definitely worth a stop here. You'll enjoy the warm welcome and the delicious oranges and treats! For each time I visit, I make sure I grab at least one bag of their oranges. Pro-Tip: The 25-lb. bag is a bargain for its overall quality.If there's one take-away from this review, then I hope I've enticed you to come check out Gless Ranch - you won't be disappointed!

Love all the fresh fruit, especially during Cara Cara season, and all the different snacks and freshly made pastries.

This is easily the cutest shop in Riverside. On top on that, the fruit is always fresh, and the manager is kind and helpful. Whenever I'm headed out to Palm Springs, this shop is consistently on my itinerary.

I came in last week to find a strawberry preserve, i asked a worker for help since i couldn't locate it myself. Her name was Summer she stayed at the register and said 'We must not have it then' and continued her personal conversation. The customer service used to be amazing sadly it's not the same anymore as it's been like this the past few months i've been in.

Great farm store with everything and more from a farm store. Fresh and sweet citrus from their orchard. Friendly and helpful service. Store was neat and clean with no clutter.

This place has delicious fruits and excellent seasonal veggies. My friends have commented on how sweet the strawberries are when we serve it. We always look forward to their summer peaches. A colleague looks forward when they have corn! I'm looking forward to cooking up some zucchini that I just purchased. This is the ONLY place I'll buy strawberries from. They even have delicious giant-sized chocolate covered strawberries! Service is exceptional! Linda and Stewart have talked stories of life back in the late 1900's. Back then Glenn Farm was housed in Buena Park. Ambience is awesome! It's very clean. Parking is available right in front of their stand. You have to visit this amazing Glenn Ranch stand!