2024 Ventura County, California Strawberry U-Pick Farms and Orchards - PickYourOwn.org

Strawberry U-Pick Orchards in Ventura County, California in 2024, by county

Below are the U-Pick orchards and farms for strawberries that we know of in this area. Not all areas of any state, nor even every state, have strawberries orchards that are open to the public. If you know of any others, please tell us using the add a farm form!

Remember to always check with the farm's own website or Facebook page before you go - or call or email them if they don't have a website or Facebook page. Conditions at the farms and crops can change literally overnight, so if you want to avoid a wasted trip out there - check with the farm directly before you go! If I cannot reach them, I DON'T GO!

PLEASE report closed farms, broken links and incorrect info using the "Report Corrections" form below.

Ventura County

• McGrath Family Farm - CERTIFIED ORGANIC, beets, blackberries, cherries, other berries, raspberries (red), raspberries (Spring, red), strawberries, tomatoes, winter squash,
  1012 Ventura Boulevard, Camarillo, CA 93010. Phone: 805 983-0333. Email: McGrath.familyfarms@verizon.net. Open: from 9 to 6 daily, mid March through December 31st, call ahead to check availability. Directions: Headed south on 101 freeway exit Central Avenue in Camarillo and right turn on to Ventura Blvd. Market is on your left. Heading north on 101 freeway exit Central Avenue in Camarillo and go left over freeway overpass and right turn on to Ventura Blvd. . Click here for a map and directions. Payment: Cash, Check, Debit cards, Visa, MasterCard.
  McGrath Family Farm Facebook page. . Alternate Phone: 805 485-4210. Fax: 805 983-3388. . We are certified organic for all crops! School tours welcome. Check our website for more information and for prices. We offer a Community Supported Agriculture program Spring Summer and Fall. Call for prices or visit our website. Farming on the coast of Southern California for 5 generations is the finest blessing this Irish American farm family could ever hope for- the deepest topsoil and the best climate produces a utopian garden farm. We are a sustainable farm that grows a high diversity of year-round organic fruits and vegetables for our community. Come shop the SEASONS at our roadside market! (UPDATED: June 29, 2019, JBS)
• Underwood Family Farms Somis - blueberries, Strawberries, Raspberries & Blackberries
  5696 Los Angeles Avenue, Somis, CA 93066. Phone: 805-386-4660. Open: PYO Blueberries from Memorial Day Weekend through mid-July, from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm; Daily. Directions: Located in Somis or at Tierra Rejada in Moorpark, where you can purchase their field-fresh produce and say hi to their farm animals. Click here for a map and directions. . Fax: 805-386-3994. Tractor Rides to the Fields (9am -2pm Weekends only), Free Parking. 1lb & 2 lb Containers Provided; Priced by the Pound. Underwood is a pick-your-own grower of a wide variety of fresh vegetables and fruits in Ventura County, California. They offer a wide variety of services and activities tailored for the entire family, including pick-your-own produce, birthday parties at their Farm Animal Center, school tours, gift baskets (shipped anywhere in the U.S.), and the Fall Harvest Festival in October. You can also visit them at one of their Farm Markets, . Or visit them at one of the 12 Certified Farmers' Markets that they participate in throughout the week. NOTE: There is admission fee to pick, so be sure you read this page on Underwood's website. Bring the entire family, young & old, for a fun, educational day "out on the farm." Children love it! For your convenience, we have a number of pull-wagons to transport your "prize pickings" and/or children from the field to the Farm Market area. There is no reservation required for pick-your-own. Only for educational, school farm tours. Underwood Family Farms Moorpark (Tierra Rejada) - strawberries, tomatoes, vegetables3370 Sunset Valley Road, Moorpark, CA 93066. Phone: 805-529-3690. Fax: 805-529-6037. Pick Your Own Roma Tomatoes are available for picking on Labor Day Weekend - Saturday, September 2 & Sunday, September 3 from 6:00am to 12:00pm. The price is $.25/pound. Offers a Farm Market, Animal Center, Pick Your Own Produce, Fall Festival at Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark (see below) Wagon Rides, Birthday Parties, Educational Tours. At Underwood Family Farms in Moorpark, you and your family can enjoy the true farm experience. Come pick your ownfruits and vegetables on our fully operational working farm. It's a great day outdoors for the entire family! You can also enjoy the convenience of shopping at ourFarm Marketfor the same field-fresh produce, jarred products, snacks, and ice-cold beverages.Educational Farm Toursbring school groups from far and wide to pick fruits and vegetables and learn about farm life. TheFarm Animal Centerhas farm animal displays, pony rides, activities and games. You can even host a child's birthday party by reservation. Weddings also take place in the walnut grove at the back of the farm.Fall Harvest Festival at Tierra Rejada Family Farms, October. Pick-your-own pumpkin in our HUGE pumpkin patch, Clydesdale-drawn hay rides, antique and new farm equipment and machinery displays, fun photo ops, GIANT PUMPKIN display, and pick-your-own fruits and vegetables. Baby animal petting and grooming corral, Pony rides. (UPDATED: April 27, 2015, JBS)

 

Strawberry Picking Tips, Recipes and Information

In the U.S. strawberries typically peak during April in Florida and Texas, May in the deep South, and in early June in middle sections and later June in the far North and Canada. Keep in mind that crops are ready at various times of the month depending on which part of the state you are located. In order to produce good local strawberries, producers depend on ideal spring weather conditions. 

Before you leave to go to the farm:

1. Always call before you go to the farm - strawberries are affected by weather (both rain and cooler temperature) more than most crops. And when they are in season, a large turnout can pick a field clean before noon, so CALL first!
2. Leave early.  On weekends, then fields may be picked clean by NOON!
    
3. Most growers furnish picking containers designed for strawberries, but they may charge you for them; be sure to call before you go to see if you need to bring containers.
   
   
   If you use your own containers, remember that heaping strawberries more than 5 inches deep will bruise the lower berries. Plastic dishpans, metal oven pans with 3 inch tall sides and large pots make good containers. I like the Glad storage containers like the one at right.
4. Bring something to drink and a few snacks; you'd be surprised how you can work up a thirst and appetite! And don't forget hats and sunscreen for the sun. Bugs usually aren't a problem, but some deet might be good to bring along if it has been rainy.

Tips on How to Pick Strawberries

1. Grasp the stem just above the berry between the forefinger and the thumbnail and pull with a slight twisting motion.

2. With the stem broken about one-half inch from the berry, allow it to roll into the palm of your hand.

3. Repeat these operations using both hands until each holds 3 or 4 berries. 

4. Carefully place - don't throw - the fruit into your containers. Repeat the picking process with both hands.

5. Don't overfill your containers or try to pack the berries down.

General Picking Tips

Whether you pick strawberries from your garden or at a Pick-Your-Own farm, here are a few tips to keep in mind:

1. Be careful that your feet and knees do not damage plants or fruit in or along the edge of the row.
   
2. Pick only the berries that are fully red. Part the leaves with your hands to look for hidden berries ready for harvest.
   
3. To help the farmers, also remove from the plants berries showing rot, sunburn, insect injury or other defects and place them between the rows behind you. If they are left in the plants, the rot will quickly spread to other berries.
   
4. Berries to be used immediately may be picked any time, but if you plan to hold the fruit for a few days, try to pick in the early morning or on cool, cloudy days. Berries picked during the heat of the day become soft, are easily bruised and will not keep well.
   
5. Avoid placing the picked berries in the sunshine any longer than necessary. It is better to put them in the shade of a tree or shed than in the car trunk or on the car seat. Cool them as soon as possible after picking. Strawberries may be kept fresh in the refrigerator for two or three, depending upon the initial quality of the berry. After a few days in storage, however, the fruit loses its bright color and fresh flavor and tends to shrivel.
   
6. For interesting and fun strawberry facts and trivia from the California Strawberry Commission, click here!

When you get home

1. DON'T wash the berries until you are ready to use them.  Washing makes them more prone to spoiling.
2. Pour them out into shallow pans and remove any mushed, soft or rotting berries
3. Put a couple of days supply into the fridge, wash and cut the caps (green tops) off the others and freeze them up! (Unless you're going to make jam right away) See this page about how to freeze strawberries.
4. If you like the strawberries you picked, ask the farm what variety they planted, and not the weather conditions the week or two before. The flavor of a strawberry is affected by the variety, the weather and the degree of ripeness when picked.
5. Now, get ready to make strawberry jam. It is VERY easy - especially with our free strawberry jam instructions - they're illustrated and easy.

Strawberry Recipes, Canning and Freezing Strawberries

• How to freeze strawberries!
• Strawberry jam (with pectin) (uses less sugar or honey and less cooking)
• Strawberry jam (without pectin) (requires much more sugar and cooking)
• Strawberry (and other berry) jams without sugar
• Strawberry jelly
• Strawberry-rhubarb jam!
• Homemade strawberry ice cream (regular, low fat, nonfat, low sugar, vanilla and even gelato)
• Canning strawberries
• Make gourmet chocolate-covered strawberries
• How to make fruit juice -  strawberry and other berries
• Strawberry pie filling
• Strawberry pie
• Easy Rhubarb-Strawberry pie
• Fig-strawberry jam
• Fig-strawberry jam, made with Jello gelatin

Strawberry Facts, Measurements and Tips

• Picking the best strawberries: Select firm, fully red berries. Strawberries DO NOT continue ripen after they are picked! In the photo, only the berry on the far right is completely ripe.
• Strawberry festivals: Most areas that grow strawberries have a strawberry festival, at which you can taste all kinds of fresh strawberry foods, pies, jams, cakes - and most commonly, fresh strawberry shortcake.  To find out where and when there is one near you, see this page for a list of strawberry festivals, sorted by state!
• Strawberries measurements: government agriculture websites tell us that
  1 quart = 2 pints = 4 cups and is about the same as 1 liter and
  1 quart of fresh strawberries weighs 1 lbs to 1.25 lbs (or 450 to 600 g). Of course, the weight varies on variety and weather conditions. 
  1 quart is normally enough for 4 servings, although I'll admit my son can eat 1 pint by himself!
• How much to pick? In general, 1 quart of fresh, whole, just-picked strawberries = approximately 3.5 cups hulled, whole berries. In other words, removing the caps/hulls and the occasional mushy berry means you lose 1/4 cup to 1/2 (it depends how much fruit you remove with the hull) or about 7 to 12% of every quart you pick.
• One cup of strawberries contains only about 50 calories
• U-pick strawberries are much healthier than store-bought.  Consumer reports says store bought strawberries have so many pesticide and fungicide residues on they, that they don't recommend you eat them at all!
• U-pick strawberry farms typically sell berries by the pound. 1 lbs of fresh strawberries is about 2/3 of a quart.
• It takes about  10 to 15 minutes to pick a quart, if the berries are reasonably plentiful
• The strawberry plant adapts to wide variety of soil conditions, but does not tolerate drought well, and the berries quickly rot if the weather is rainy. For this reason, the plants are usually grown on raised beds through plastic mulch!
• Cultivation of strawberries began in Europe in the 1300's, but the berry only became very popular in the early 1900's in California.
• Do the math and be careful not to over-purchase as strawberries quickly mold when left at room temperature, and only last a couple of days in the refrigerator.
• You can easily freeze berries that you cannot use right away - just wash, cut the hulls off and pop them into a ziplock bag, removing as much air as possible.  Those vacuum food sealers REALLY do a good job of this! The berries will keep for many months frozen without air.
• Want to grow your own strawberries?  Here's an article about how to: Strawberries are an Excellent Fruit for the Home Garden, HYG-1424-98!
• See this page for many more fun and interesting strawberry facts, nutritional information and trivia

Other weird strawberry facts

• Strawberries are the only fruit with seeds on the outside.
• Strawberries were originally called strewberries because the fruit was 'strewn' amongst the leaves of the plant.
• California is king of strawberry productions because: California produces 75 percent of the nation's strawberry crops; one billion pounds of strawberries each year.  If all the strawberries produced in California in one year were laid berry to berry, they would go around the world 15 times. Each acre of land in California in strawberry production produces an average of 21 tons of strawberries annually, with a total of 23,000 acres of strawberries planted in California each year.

More conversions

1 pint (2 cups)  of fresh whole strawberries

• = about 8 oz (1/2 lb) of strawberries
• = 2.25 cups of sliced strawberries
• = 1 cup pureed strawberries
• = 12-14 large strawberries

2 quarts of fresh strawberries are needed for a 9" pie

A 10 oz package of frozen berries is about the same as 1 cup of sliced fresh strawberries

References:

• University of Illinois Extension
• Driscolls
• Ohio State University Extension
• Strawberries-Average retail price per pound and per cup equivalent

Other Local Farm Products (Honey, Horses, Milk, Meat, Eggs, Etc.)
(NOT pick-your-own, unless they are also listed above)

• Farm markets and roadside stands
• Local Honey Finder
• Local Meat, Milk and Eggs
• Venues: Farms, Wineries, Orchards for your event, wedding or party
• Easter egg hunts
• Children"s consignment sales
• Fruit and vegetable festivals
• Winery tours and wine tastings
• Horse rides, stables, lessons, trails
• Maple Syrup farms and sugarworks
• Bed & Breakfasts on Farms, Wineries, Ranches and Orchards
• Pumpkin patches
• Corn mazes
• Zombie Paintball venues
• Christmas Tree Farms & lots
• Environmental resources
• Consumer fraud information
• Wholesale food sources
• Resources for Farmers