Thursday, April 13, 2017

Why You Need to Go On a Tanaka Farms Strawberry Tour + {GIVEAWAY}

Disclosure: We were hosted by Tanaka Farms with other media for a watermelon tour. All opinions are my own.
 

If were ever a kindergartner in the Irvine Unified School District, then you've 
probably been on one of the fun tours at Tanaka Farms. I love that the kids can
see how produce is grown, harvested and sold locally. It is a great source of 
fresh produce that is picked daily just down the road from me. We've been on a
Watermelon Tour at Tanaka Farms and so we jumped at the chance to go on a
Strawberry Tour with friends!


When you arrive at Tanaka Farms you head to the Farm Tour Check In desk
to check your party in and get your stickers! I put Grace's red sticker on her
back so that she wouldn't be able to pull it off and lose it - mom hack! 
You'll want to arrive at the farm 20-30 minutes before your tour begins to make
sure you have ample time to check-in and get ready for your tour to depart. They
leave on time, so if you're late, you'll get left behind! And you wouldn't want that
because then you'll miss out on all the red, ripe strawberries! 

The STRAWBERRY TOURS are offered daily at various times, 
depending on the day March through June. They last about and hour and 
they end with taking home a one pound basket of delicious strawberries!


You'll have a fabulous tour guide and a driver that will take you on guided
wagon ride around the 30 acre farm. I grew up in Iowa and I often miss 
 the wide open farm lands living here in Orange County. It's good for the
soul to just look out over the farm as the tractor bumps along and have a rural
experience that's hard to find when you're living a suburban life.


We enjoyed listening to tour guide tell us about the land, the different types of 
crops they grow, why they rotate crops, how they use the same products 
and natural methods as certified organic farms to keep the pests from eating all 
the delicious produce instead of harmful pesticides, and how they are growing
some of the strawberries hydroponically.


And I know that it's called a strawberry tour, but it's really about more than
that. Along the way you will stop and try some of the delicious FRESH 
produce they grow at Tanaka Farms. Our tour guide invited all the kids to join 
the "Try It All Club" and they all raised their right hands and took an oath to try 
it all! And they did! We tried bok choy, snap peas, carrots, lettuce, and celery.
Have you ever had celery that has been picked right out of the ground? 
It has so much flavor!! 


Your last stop will be the strawberry fields where you get to pick your own one
pound basket of the biggest, ripest, juiciest strawberries you have ever had. Oh,
my goodness! They were so good! You can eat while you pick and Grace took
full advantage of that. I had to help her pick her strawberries because she was
too busy eating to be bothered to put more than two or three in her basket.


After you've filled up your strawberry basket to the brim (the only rule is that the
lid has to be able to close), then it's time for the group to load back onto the
trailer and head back to the beginning. Be sure you hang on to your sticker
because it's good for $2 off a purchase of $10 or more at the farm stand. They
have so many yummy things - more fresh produce, chips, salsa, breads . . . I
guarantee you'll want to take something (or things) home with you.


The strawberry tours at Tanaka Farms should be on everyone's spring bucket
list. On the weekends the tours happen every half hour starting at 9:30AM
until 2:30PM and don't require a reservation. Tours on the weekdays only
happen three times a day and may require a reservation. Be sure to check
the Tanaka Farm Calendar of Tours to see what is happening the day you're
interested in attending. You can also call the farm for group rates and
reservations.


If you want to pick strawberries without going on a tour you might be able to to
do in the Strawberry Garden behind the Market Stand for $5/lb. These
strawberries are grown hydroponically (without soil! in coconut husks!) and are
not eat as you pick! If you want to do that, then you need to get in on one of
the tours.


{STRAWBERRY TOUR PRICE BREAKDOWN}

Adults and Children 3+ - $18
Children 2 and under - FREE

Group Rates 10+ children - $14/child, $7/adult
Group Rates 15+ combo children and adults - $14/each

Group reservations can be made by calling (949) 653-2100 ext. 204


{GIVEAWAY}
The rad Tanaka Farms has given me a family 4-pack for the strawberry tours!
This is a $72 value, but a priceless life memory value, so be sure to enter so
your kids can pick and eat their own strawberries. Yes, please!
Enter using the Rafflecopter widget below and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


3 comments:

  1. I love strawberries! This place looks awesome. I would like to take my kids here.

    ReplyDelete
  2. My fave fruit is strawberries and my fave veggie is Brussels sprouts.

    Debnmike moretti

    ReplyDelete

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