New Oak Ranch

Lavender season is great! We came here and as soon as you step out of your car, you get a get big whiff of that lavender scent. It’s beautiful! They have a large section dedicated entirely to 3 species of lavender, one of which is Provence, the type you use for culinary purposes. It’s completely free to wander around, and you pay $ 5 per bunch of lavender you pick. And it’s a large bunch too. They also have a stand with an assortment of lavender related products if you want to buy any of those as well. I was pleasantly surprised at the number of people who were there and knew about this place — why hadn’t I ever bothered to look up u-​pick lavender fields before?! I had been missing out! The owners were super nice and knowledgeable.
Warning, there are a TON of bees so if you have an aversion to those fellas, now’s the time to man up and face those fears. You would think that it’s a given and everyone would know to expect it, I’m just a little slow in that regard I guess cuz the amount of bees really caught me by surprise! I sucked it up for a little bit, or else I wouldn’t have been able to pick any lavender! My bf was kind enough to do most of the mingling with the bees for me though. =)

Opens only for 6 weeks a year (until July 29), but this is a great place to pick your own lavender (fresh from the bush itself) by the bunches ($ 5 each) and there are multiple varieties grown here. Don’t be intimidated by the entrance (it appears quiet and you are the only visitor), drive down the long stretch road and you will find numerous cars and visitors having a picnic and a tent with products (lavender honey, jams, sachets) and friendly staff that will guide you on the area. Only about a 10 minute drive from downtown Ojai.

We were on a mini tour of Ojai and people asked what we had planned. When we mentioned New Oak Ranch, everyone would break into, «Oh, Bill and Karen are lovely people.» And they were. As was their property. As you drive up, you feel as if you’ve been transported to Provence. The calming fragrance is not at all overwhelming but definitely noticeable throughout the farm, especially in the room where it was being dried. We were set free to pick as much lavender as we could fit onto the twistie tie for $ 5 a bunch. And it was a lot. The low buzzing of the bees were almost soothing and they didn’t even try to sting us. They must be used to people invading their territory. After we picked our two bunches, we ventured back into the drying room and bought ourselves a jar each of the body cream and the tomato relish; for which Bill rung us up with his iPad. Our trip was 3 days long and the car and hotel rooms smelled heavenly. It’s been 3 weeks and they are still going strong. I have beautiful sachets to look forward to, for which I’ve been collecting the fallen buds in a bowl.

This is a beautiful place with beautiful fields of lavender, olive and orange trees. The ranch house is on a hill with a great view of the valley. The hosts were awesome and friendly! My friends and I got some lavender infused tea and sugar from their gift shop. I also got their really yummy olive oil. New Oak Ranch is a great place to check out a real family farm in operation! They also have a neat little picnic area if you want to have lunch or early dinner there.

Great place to pick your own lavender. Love it! It’s nice to get lavender products fresh from the farm too.
The farm is beautiful too. I felt like I was in Provence. Very Mediterranean-​like setting.
Getting there can be a bit tricky since GPS devices have trouble locating it. My iPhone map application found it perfectly.
Direction tips:
1. From Ojai, head east on Highway 150
2. Look for the for the Ojai Foundation sign
2. Turn left after the sign
3. Drive a short distance across the bridge to the Stop sign.
4. Turn right.
5. At the 2^nd driveway, the one with the stucco pillars, turn left.
6. The address is 9599 Ojai-​Santa Paula Rd and there is a sign that says «New Oak»
7. Drive up the gravel driveway
8. Parking is easy

New Oak Ranch is a lavender farm in the upper Ojai valley, less than 6 miles east of Ojai, and 12 miles west of Santa Paula. They are open now for viewing and picking your own lavender. Went there yesterday with a group and got an explanation about the types of lavender, and even learned which type is the best for culinary adventures. I’ve never added lavender to my food, but might try it. How would it taste in bean soup instead of ham? Hmmmm.
They also have olive oil there and I was surprised that it has a really spicy «finish.» Quite a bite when you taste it, and I have never tasted olive oil like it. We sampled the lavender hand cream and the body spray, which is supposed to work as a bug repellent. Try the strawberry lavender jam, and the tomato lavender jam, it was surprising as well.
They are open for picking lavender for 6 weeks. Call or go to their website to learn more.