From Pixies to Pinot: A Delicious Day in Ojai

Framed by the Topatopa Mountains and quilted with citrus groves, olive trees, vineyards and small farms, Ojai rewards travelers who slow down. This Ventura County valley offers an unusually delicious connection between landscape and plate. Here, the perfect day is measured in freshly picked fruit, peppery olive oil, local wine and enough time to watch the mountains turn pink.

Because several of Ojai’s agricultural experiences are seasonal, you should confirm hours, reservations and harvest availability before setting out.

Morning: Begin with Breakfast in Town

Start at Highly Likely Ojai, an all-day neighborhood restaurant that brings a bright, contemporary California sensibility to the center of town. Coffee, breakfast sandwiches and chilaquiles make it an easy launching point for a farm-filled day. While seasonal dishes, local wines and produce-driven details connect the menu to the surrounding valley.

One particularly memorable example is the restaurant’s California Prune mostarda, a sweet-tart condiment created with California Prunes, mustard seed, ginger, shallot, citrus and wine. During Pixie season, keep an eye out for the Ojai Pixie tangerine sorbet. It’s a fitting introduction to the fruit that has become one of the valley’s agricultural calling cards.

Midmorning: Taste Ojai’s Citrus Heritage

Spring visitors should make room for Ojai Pixie tangerines. At Friends Ranches, the small, seedless mandarins generally ripen beginning in March. Though, they may remain available into May or June, depending on the crop. Their sweetness and concentrated flavor reflect Ojai’s distinctive growing conditions: warm days, cool nights and a valley protected from the most extreme temperatures.

The Friends family has farmed in Ojai since the 1870s, helping transform the once-obscure Pixie into a regional treasure. 

Even outside Pixie season, roadside stands and local markets offer a window into the valley’s broader citrus story. Look for oranges, lemons, mandarins and avocados, buying directly from growers whenever possible.

Late Morning: Sample Olive Oil Among the Trees

Continue into Ojai’s agricultural backroads for a visit to Ojai Olive Oil Company, a third-generation family farm centered around a grove of heritage olive trees.

During a guided tasting, visitors can compare extra virgin olive oils, infused oils and balsamic vinegars while learning to recognize fruitiness, bitterness and the peppery finish associated with fresh oil. The farm grows several olive varieties, including Lechin de Sevilla, Leccino, Frantoio and Nocellara del Belice, producing blends that express both the fruit and Ojai’s Mediterranean-style climate. Shopping and tastings are currently offered daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Leave with a bottle for salads, grilled vegetables or good bread—and a better understanding of why olive oil, like wine, carries the flavor of variety, harvest and place.

A Seasonal Detour: Pick Lavender at Frog Creek Farm

For a few precious weekends each summer, Frog Creek Farm Ojai opens its Upper Ojai fields for U-pick lavender. The 2026 season is scheduled to begin June 20 and 21, typically continuing for three or four weekends as weather allows.

Visitors can cut lavender bundles, sip lavender lemonade and shop for farm-made soaps, lotions, sprays, essential oils and jams. Saturday sunset harvests invite guests to bring a picnic and linger through golden hour. The farm is rustic, with mulched paths and no public restrooms, so closed-toe shoes and a little advance planning are wise.

Outside lavender season, save this stop for a future trip rather than expecting a year-round attraction. Ojai agritourism is at its best when visitors follow the farm calendar instead of fighting it.

Lunch: Farm-Grown Flavor at Boccali’s

For a leisurely lunch beneath the trees, head to Boccali’s Pizza & Pasta. The family’s Upper Ojai farm supplies seasonal vegetables for the restaurant, where produce is picked during the growing season and woven into pizzas, pastas and salads. Fresh produce is also seasonally offered for purchase, making it easy to take a little of the valley home.

Pair lunch with a glass of Boccali Vineyards wine, grown, produced and bottled by the family in Upper Ojai. Then order the famous strawberry shortcake. Available seasonally, it arrives piled with fresh strawberries and whipped cream over a rustic, home-style shortcake. It is generous, gloriously unfussy and worth planning the meal around.

Afternoon: Choose an Ojai Wine Experience

Majestic Oak Vineyard

For a tasting room within easy walking distance of Ojai’s shops and galleries, visit Majestic Oak Vineyard. This family-owned label offers an approachable introduction to local winemaking without requiring a drive deep into the countryside.

The downtown tasting room is currently open from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 7 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Reservations are requested for parties of five or more; smaller groups are seated on a first-come, first-served basis.

Old Creek Ranch Winery

Travelers arriving from or returning toward Ventura can make a scenic stop at Old Creek Ranch Winery, located along the rural corridor leading into the Ojai Valley. The property brings vineyards, orchards, dry farming and cattle together on a working ranch, creating a broader agricultural experience than a conventional tasting bar.

Current options include a six-pour tasting flight and a four-pour Eternal Summer flight. Reservations are available, while walk-ins may be accommodated as space permits; weekend afternoons can be busy.

Choose one winery for an unhurried day, or visit Majestic Oak in town and save Old Creek Ranch for the drive home.

Evening: Follow the Pink Light

End where Ojai’s agricultural story began: with the land itself. Find a west-facing patio, a quiet pullout or a peaceful spot overlooking the groves as the late-afternoon light warms the Topatopa Mountains. The celebrated “pink moment” does not appear on command, but when conditions align, the peaks take on shades of rose, coral and amber.

By then, the day’s souvenirs may include Pixie tangerines, a lavender bundle, estate olive oil, local wine and farm-grown vegetables. More importantly, each purchase carries a connection—to a grower, a season and the remarkable little valley that produced it.

That is the pleasure of Ojai agritourism: not simply seeing beautiful farmland, but tasting the landscape one stop at a time.

This article was written by Alison Needham (@atable_defloured) for CA GROWN. Images by James Collier, Paprika Studios.