Underwood Family Farms' Basics

If by chance you aren't familiar with Underwood Family Farms, you absolutely should be. A day spent in Underwood's Ventura County fields feels wonderfully far away from the city, gets everyone good and tired, and invariably sends kids home willing to try something they wouldn't normally eat—simply because they picked it. And today's news means that even in the current COVID-19 reality, families can finish the day sun-kissed, berry-stained, and with a clear image of what onions and sweet potatoes look like growing underground.

As delightful as this is in ordinary times, the prospect sounds even more delicious now, when outings are so hard to come by, and the only other way to buy produce involves lining up on a chalk-marked sidewalk to wait for a space in Trader Joe's. Underwood's sprawling acres make social distancing easy while collecting Farmers Market grade vegetables right off the plant.

Starting on Friday, May 1, Underwood's fields are open daily from 9am–6pm. Admission is $5 (free for little ones under two) and includes a tractor-drawn wagon ride to and from the fields if desired (tractors and wagons are sanitized regularly). Visitors are also welcome to use the farm's wagons to pull out to the fields themselves on foot; these are sanitized after each use. The farm's animal center and petting zoo are not available to the public at the moment, but a few dozen crops are, including avocados, grapefruit, strawberries, carrots, onions, and passion fruit, all in season.

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Protocols for pandemic pick-your-own:

• People with a cough, fever, or other sickness must not enter the farm.
• A 6-foot social distance must be maintained at all times, in the fields and on the train. This means keeping two rows between separate groups while picking.
• All customers must wear masks and gloves when checking in and out of the farm, and while on the wagons.
• Handwashing stations and portable restrooms are provided throughout the farm.
• Brand new, single-use containers and bags will be provided.
• All items picked must be taken by the customer and purchased.
• Produce must not be touched or picked unless purchasing.
• Masks must be worn on the tractor-drawn rides to the fields. Gloves must remain on at all times.
• No dogs (except service dogs) are allowed. Note that emotional support animals do not qualify as service dogs.
• Pick-your-own admission will be limited to safe numbers that can socially distance appropriately.
• No coolers are allowed.
• Admission will be collected at two booths with required distance separating visitors from team members.
• There's a one-way path to either board a tractor-drawn wagon or walk to the fields. Masks are required when checking in and out. Gloves must be worn at all times.
• Hand washing stations and restrooms are at the entrances, in the fields, and at the exits.
• The animal center remains closed.

You can check the complete list of what crops are in season before heading out. But whatever is ripe, what's guaranteed is a satifying outing, a learning experience, and plenty of farm-fresh produce to bring home.

Underwood Family Farm in Moorpark is open daily from 9am–6pm.
Admission is $5 for everyone age 2 and up.
Parking is free.