3370 Sunset Valley Rd, Moorpark, CA 93021

One of the farms I had always wanted to visit is Underwood Family Farms because I would frequent their market stand. I enjoy their fresh organic vegetables, the variety they have at their stand, and their reasonable prices. If Underwood Family Farm may sound familiar to you, it is because they used to grow the peppers for a famous sriracha sauce company. But more than that, Underwood is in its fourth generation of family farming in the Ventura County. They have two farms: one in Somis and Moorpark. I am focusing this field trip at the Moorpark location.

The entrance fee today (March 2025) at the Moorpark location was $14 per adult or anyone over 2 years of age. The fee was higher due to their Tulip Festival event and includes two regular features: barnyard animals and U-pick vegetables. Without any festival events, the admission fee is lower.

Immediately as you enter, there are barnyard animals. Their collection includes emus, Highland cows, goats, sheep, baby goats, donkeys, horses, miniature horse, alpacas, turkeys, chickens, a pot belly pig, Flemish rabbits, and a variety of birds in an aviary. Even as a adult, there were several animals here that I had never seen before in person, so it is a treat for me.

The animals look well taken care of, with their living quarters being clean. Visitors can feed the animals with their special food. Food is dispensed through a vending machine at 25 cents and they have a contraption where the food slides down a funnel. Some animals have become trained at this and know to walk towards the dispenser looking for food. Some of the animals look content and well-fed.

There are also plenty of birds in the natural environment that visit the entire area for company or to steal some treats. There is a worker that goes around cleaning bird poop off the railings and benches all day. Workers can also be seen cleaning stalls.

I am unaware of any other areas in Southern California growing tulips for u-pick. The Tulip Festival held many rows of tulips. Unfortunately we came at the tail end and we had warm weather, so the tulips were almost done. In spite of this, the rows still looked great and there were numerous photo taking opportunities. They also had some props to enhance your photos from a piano, a windmill, a bathtub, barrel chairs, and arches.

To add to the fun, your entrance fee includes one U-pick tulip. You may also purchase and pick additional tulips for $1.50 for one or half a dozen for $7.

A smaller fraction of visitors participated in the U-pick vegetables and fruit. This is where the farm became an experience for me. In their organized fashion, there is a sign before you walk in to the farm, which lists the vegetables that are in season and their prices. They also have this sign again at one of the vegetable sheds with plastic bags and boxes. You are allowed to sample the fruits and vegetables while in the rows picking–they just require that you do it modestly and not go overboard.

It was hard to decide how many bags or boxes you will need so I chose less and we just bagged mostly the leafy vegetables while we gently placed everything else into the wagon. There are no knives or scissors and it is recommend that you pull or snap. It is possible to pick vegetables with these methods except for the fennel. Fennel is already difficult for me to pull at home, it is even harder when the fennel is twice as big as the one you grow at home! Luckily, my husband had a small pocket knife and he managed to slowly saw through it.

The day’s list of vegetables included: arugula, bok choy, tatsoi, carrots, red-leaf lettuce, green leafy lettuce, romaine lettuce, cabbage, spinach, broccoli, romanesco cauliflower, snap peas, radish, turnips, red beets, and orange beets. Their fruits include: lemons, mandarins, navel oranges, ruby red grapefruit, and not in season at the moment was valencia orange and avocado. The strawberry fields were barely coming into season and there were many visitors wanting to pick these so we opted not to spend time doing this as they were probably slim pickings.

Everything that is picked must be paid for when you exit the farm. Some items are by the pound, others are by the individual piece. We had picked vegetables and fruit (the goal was two weeks worth), I figured our load would be about $50-60 dollars but our load came up to less than $30! I was floored. It was even cheaper than my purchases at the farmer’s market.

As a side note, the price of strawberries was $3.50 a pound for organic strawberries. This is an excellent price. Most u-pick strawberry places we have been to require an entrance fee and charge by the bucket. The bucket proved to be frustrating because it would be difficult to place the strawberries without generating a lot of air gaps in between. Being charged by the pound is an extremely fair price. And of course, their strawberries are delicious, sweet and does not have a dirt taste. Their varieties include the Monterey and Albion.

If you’re stressed or want to get away, the u-pick vegetables with your focus and attention, will have you forgetting your troubles. It was a fully immersive experience and a peaceful way to spend the day.

In the end, there was so much to see and do, we were there for over three hours and we pushed ourselves quickly to leave and to avoid heavy traffic home. The staff at Underwood Family Farms was pleasant and welcoming and seemed to care about their jobs from taking care of the animals to weighing your vegetables. We plan on going back at least once every year to do a u-pick.

Advice: wear a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses. Bring water. A small knife or scissors would be helpful.

Website: Underwood Family Farms Farm may be closed due to inclement weather. Always check their website or social media beforehand for specific prices or ticket instructions.