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