Sunday, April 10, 2011

Tanaka Farms Cookout Tour


SPONSOR
Location
5380 3/4 University Dr.
Irvine, CA 92612
(949) 653-2100



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Admission
Adults - $24.00
Children (age 3-10 yrs old) - $20.00
Children (age 2 yrs old and under) - Free

Parking
Free; dirt lot

Stroller/wheelchair accessibility
Yes; you can also park the stroller while on the tour

Restroom facilities
Porta potties available at produce stand and at the eating tent.

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Activities
The Cookout Tour began with a tractor ride, well, a wagon pulled by a tractor anyway. My son was beyond thrilled that he got to get up-close and personal with a tractor; he loves trucks. He still remembers Mr. Rocky, the guy who drove the tractor, to this day. Our guide was knowledgeable and made the tour fun. During the tour, we got a little bit of background info about the farm and the vegetables grown that season. 
Each participant got their own plastic bag to fill with hand-picked vegetables. Even my son got his own bag. I have never tasted fresh vegetables before, the kind just picked from the ground. They were awesome! Everything was crisper and just tasted better. We sampled vegetables right from the ground; just dusted them off and ate them. My husband thinks I'm a germaphobe (maybe it has something to do with my background in Microbiology and Infectious Diseases) but I didn't have a problem eating the freshly picked vegetables. My son who doesn't usually eat carrots, kept asking for more. I think the novelty of picking the carrot and eating it was also a factor, in addition to the carrot just tasting so good. 
We walked, we picked, we sampled, and we bagged some more. By the end of the harvest, our bags were full. We went to the prep area where we washed our goodies. Again, my son loved this. He takes any opportunity he gets to play with water. After washing the vegetables, the staff prepped and cooked them. While waiting for our food, we had green salad and fresh corn. The corn wasn't cooked, just freshly picked that morning, and they were delicious. There was so much food that we took home leftovers. We also got to take home a watermelon.
Our family experience
The Cookout Tour was so much fun. I can not recommend it enough. Needless to say that this is an outdoor activity in a working farm, so I suggest wearing comfortable closed-toe shoes, lots of sunscreen, and maybe a wide-brim hat. To recap: my son rode in a wagon, ate fresh vegetables, and the whole family got some physical activity - I was a happy mom.

GIVEAWAY - CLOSED
Thanks to Tanaka Farms for sponsoring this giveaway.

Disclaimer: I was not compensated for this post. I won tickets to the event from a blog giveaway and not the actual company. The opinions expressed in this post are solely mine. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review.

35 comments:

  1. I learned that their produce stand is open year round.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I follow on Google Friend Connect.

    ReplyDelete
  3. i learned that during the fall, Tanaka Farms has farm animals that you can feed and pet, a corn maze and a wagon ride that will take you out to the real pumpkin patch where you can pick your pumpkin right off the vine. wow!!
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  4. gfc follower kolpin
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

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  5. JAH email subscriber
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  6. JAH twitter follower
    @kolpin4680
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  7. TF email subscriber
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  8. TF twitter follower
    @kolpin4680
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  9. I learned that The Irvine Stand opens mid-January where they harvest strawberries along with over 50 other different fruits and vegetables. :D
    I would absolutely love to win this!

    rg86(at)nau.edu

    ReplyDelete
  10. GFC follower Rgee

    rg86(at)nau.edu

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am an email subscriber!

    rg86(at)nau.edu

    ReplyDelete
  12. I stumbled the giveaway blog.
    I hope this link is the one you wanted!


    http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Fu6Dv/justanotherhat.blogspot.com/2011/04/tanaka-farms-cookout-tour-feature.html

    rg86(at)nau.edu

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love Tanaka Farms and learned about their CSA program! :))

    steflag@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. I shared on twitter!

    steflag@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  15. I stumbled the giveaway blog.
    I hope this link is the one you wanted!


    http://www.stumbleupon.com/su/2Fu6Dv/justanotherhat.blogspot.com/2011/04/tanaka-farms-cookout-tour-feature.html

    rg86(at)nau.edu

    ReplyDelete
  16. TF twitter follower
    @kolpin4680
    kolpin4680 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  17. I learned that the cookout Tours are now open and it is a fun way to get the family to eat veggies!
    doris1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  18. I'm a google friend contact.
    doris1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  19. Strawberry tours are also open right now! We will have to go and visit.
    doris1 at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete
  20. They have a kids Corner with fun facts about produce.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I follow by GFC

    ReplyDelete
  22. I learned that Tanaka Farms is the only place in Orange County where you can pick your own strawberries and eat them off the vine!

    ammy15 at gmaildotcom

    ReplyDelete
  23. i keep in touch by gmail.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I learned you can order the CSA boxes online.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  25. I learned that the Irvine Stand opens mid-January when they begin to harvest their sweet strawberries along with over 50 other different fruits and vegetables!

    linda.n.huynh at gmaildotcom

    ReplyDelete
  26. I keep in touch by gmail

    ReplyDelete
  27. CSA stands for "Community Supported Agriculture"

    ReplyDelete
  28. Tanaka farm offers both conventionally grown and organically grown strawberries.

    sophiahuynh@gmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  29. i keep in touch by gmail

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for the love.