Good Farms was the Ventura Farm Day event center. Various community services for the agricultural…read morecommunity had booths. There were also demonstrations gardens, a booth about beneficial (and not so beneficial) bugs. Our favorite part was a booth sponsored by Sprouts and some growers filled with baskets of fruits and vegetable for the taking. We took home zucchini, onions, tomatoes and potatoes. Time to make stew.

In the middle of our touring Ventura County at resources on the 2017 Farm Day, we arrived at Good…read moreFarms. Conscious of the clock ticking, we didn't spend a lot of time there, but I did take a few minutes to soak up the environment of acres of fresh strawberries stretching in the sun. The folks hosting tour members had equipment on display, and various team members talking with the guests, explaining about their growing techniques. They had a water truck distributing a sprinkling on the driveway and parking area to keep the dust down. That was really considerate. My impression was, "All schools should take their students on field trips so that suburban / urban kids can learn that their food doesn't just come from the grocery store." The vibe at Good Farms lent itself to that kind of teaching experience. Hooray for their strawberry and blueberry crops!

Dear Hubby is the Costco King at our house. He reports that Houweling's Tomatoes are often…read moreavailable there. That's got to be a substantial contract for any farm business. While on the Ventura County Farm Day self-guided tour yesterday, as we pulled up to their property, all I could say was, "Wow!". It's a major operation, and clearly a high-tech one. Videos of their usage of solar panels and water-conserving technology online help explain the operation. During Farm Day, inside tours were offered, but all the spots were filled. Still, they had bins of tomatoes available to take home for a donation. They also presented at least a dozen free recipe cards for free featuring - tomatoes! Most all looked yummy. Great hospitality from Houweling's. I had no idea that this kind of large-scale growing operation existed nearby. Viva Ventura County tomatoes!

The most delicious and flavorful green house tomatoes in the world,…read more They can be purchased at Costco. They also have amazing delicious cucumbers too

Many thanks to this private farm supporting Santa Barbara Farm Day! This is a family own farm…read moreproducing avocados to wholesale within California and into the Northwest! According to the farm 80 percent of avocados are from farms outside US, support local farms within Us like this one. Thanks for the great tour, answering guest questions from production to storing avocados for maximum quality. I appreciate your patience as we learn about avocados farms! Keep up the good great work in supporting local farming!

We don't make it up to Ojai often but when we do we always stop by and get great in season…read moreproducts!!

This totally felt like a hidden gem. I've been to Ojai a handful of times now and have really just…read morestuck around the main part of town, but Topa Vista Farm is definitely worth the 15ish minute jaunt to the outskirts of town. We decided to check it out as our last thing in Ojai before heading back to LA and actually got a little lost looking for the farm since the sign wasn't out yet. The entrance is actually on Sulphur Mountain Road and there's a sign on the fence that can be a little misleading (it says something like "local traffic only"). We found the farm right at 2 pm and Richard asked for us to come back since he was still setting up. It was a super hot week in the area, so we were happy they were even open! We took a little drive up the windy road and came back about 10 minutes later. The farm stand is small but packs a serious punch. We were there in August so there were lots of tomatoes and summer squash available. He's also got dried sage bundles (totally gift-worthy), other herbs, garlic, and onions. We didn't have cash on us, but he does take Venmo which is nice. We left with a big bounty of heirloom tomatoes and squash for $14. A bit off the beaten path, but a super worthy stop on your next trip to Ojai!

So happy we found this place and bought our Christmas tree here! There were so many trees available…read moreand all being sold at a reasonable price. These are the freshest trees I've ever seen and smelled. Happy to support a local business! They helped us load it into the car and everyone was so nice! The tree is still green and beautiful! Definitely will be back next year!

This place smells so amazing - it smells like farmland mixed with Christmas trees. Wow! Definitely…read moreget you in the Christmas spirit. And the ownership was wonderful as well. We took some family Christmas photos here and they were super cool with it and just pleasant to be around. Terrific selection as well!

Love, love, love Frog Creek Farm. Can't believe that they have been in business for over a decade…read moreand I just heard about them recently. We had been to another lavender farm in the upper Ojai Valley some years ago and I was looking for that info to return. That one has closed, but thankfully, Frog Creek Farm is a wonderful "find" for us. The lavender full blossom season is short, so you need to check on them via social media to find out when they are open. Instagram has current info. It's a delight to pull off the Ojai/Santa Paula Road and mosey on to their property. They have so much to see, including their cutting garden of seasonal flowers, some places to sit at picnic tables in the shade and even swing (i.e., hammock), the gift shop, and the lavender rows - the main event. Larry provides a great introduction at the small stand adjacent to the flowering beds. He describes the location and how to identify the five kinds of lavender they offer for cutting. For 2025 pricing - $16 earns you a generous bunch of fragrant blooms. After orientation, you are off with a basket to collect the stems, and scissors to do your own cutting / harvesting. As promised, the plentiful bees scattered away as we leaned in to cut the stems close to the main host bushes. We wandered among the rows and filled up our gathering basket. Back at the stand, Larry tied our haul into a beautiful bunch. We proceeded to the gift shop to pay for our pickings, and I also found a few other items to purchase, including lavender-infused spray which has many purposes. Christel greeted us as we were wrapping up our visit. She filled us in as we asked questions about how long they'd been there, as well as about some of their products. She's as sweet and charming as the farm is. What a lovely place to visit. We'll be putting it on the to-do list next summer, for sure!

It's always such a wonderful experience at Frog Creek Farm…read more Arriving at the farm, you just feel like you are transported somewhere else. From the personal lavender lesson, to the hands on cutting, shopping the lavender shed to sipping amazing lavender lemonade under the trees, it's such a wonderful way to spend an afternoon. Christel and Larry are just the nicest people. They make you feel so welcome to be visiting their little slice of heaven. We love this annual tradition.

Upon entering from W 5th, there was a photo op area to take pictures with Santa. The food stalls…read moreand trucks were also in the same section. In the grass area there were many vendors selling various items. There was also a stage for musical performances. There were a few food stalls that sold tamales exclusively but most seemed to have a variety of offerings on their menu. Several vendors listed the price of $6 per tamale, which is pretty steep. I only recognized The Original Tamale Co. as I've had their tamales before at the farmers market. Their tamales are big and yummy. There was also a stand that sold sweet tamales with different fruit fillings. As I arrived later in the afternoon the lines for food was short and it seemed a few of the vendors were already sold out because their booths looked zipped up. Most festival goers were relaxing on the grass enjoying the musical performances. Although coming later you can avoid the crowd and easier parking but it didn't seem like I got to enjoy the festival to the fullest so I plan to attend much earlier next year.

What does a gal do when she wants to go to a festival and has no one to go with? She goes by…read moreherself and has a great time!!!! I walked around and visited the different vendors. I also really enjoyed the live music. I stopped at The Canyon truck as last year I really liked the tamales tatemados! I got a red pork tamale. The gentleman even remembered my name ... like what!!!! That was over a year ago!! I got an agua de sandía for 10 bucks at another stand. Wow .. pricey . Festival foods are pricey though! The line for gourmet tamales was long but they're not from Oxnard or even Ventura County. Back in the day it was more local vendors. I wish it was more of that. I'd love to see more local Oxnard, Port Hueneme ... etc vendors. Maybe even a home cook competition!

amazing spot in the middle of the city! we need more spaces like this in the communityread more

This community garden is absolutely fantastic and is such a great way to bring the community…read moretogether. Stopped in and learned a few things. Angela, who runs the program here, was so knowledgeable and helpful! She answered all our questions and gave us a tour of the place. She mentioned they have volunteer days here on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Volunteers can learn about all kinds of things with maintaining a garden from harvesting and planting. Volunteers can even take some produce home as long as they're ready for harvesting! On Saturdays, once volunteer hours are over, they gather round and have a potluck made from food they've harvested. If you don't want to get down and dirty in the garden, you can volunteer to cook for the gathering. Definitely will return soon and contribute to this great org!