Strawberry Fields Forever

When I saw my friend LilSprinkles went to a strawberry farm, I just about died. Then when I saw it was just beyond the Orange Curtain in Irvine, I doubled died. It was so close - I just had to take the kids.

Tanaka Farms is a real working 30 acre farm, right in the heart of Irvine. They give daily tours and it's great for kids (and adults) who have no idea how fruits and vegetables are grown and harvested.It was even better than I could have imagined. An all organic farm, the tour really gives you an in depth look into small farming and you quickly realize the benefits of FRESH food. Most fruits and veggies that you buy in the market take a month to get there. Those things are MONTH old. Ew. On this tour (where you are pulled by a tractor, no less) you get to taste EVERYTHING picked right off the farm. We tasted fresh celery, bok choy, cilantro, Maui onions, carrots, snap peas and of course, strawberries.

When they let you off the tour you get to run amok in the fields, picking and eating whatever you want. It's craziness. And if you don't like it, or want it - you just toss it right back, because it will turn into compost.This was the Baby's favorite of all of our mini weekend trips. He just sat in the field, eating away. Not only was it all you can eat food, but you could litter. Meanwhile the Kid had a very hard time walking in dirt and insisted that we find water to wash the strawberries before we ate them. Poor little city boy.

Although it was a far drive, it was so worth it. The kids learned a lot and had a lot of fun, and of course I was happy to get organic produce. They have a watermelon picking tour in the summer, but I can just imagine the Kid getting a hernia trying to lift those suckers. Hello, ER. Or the Baby head butting every watermelon to make his own farm buffet. Hm. I think we'll wait for the fall tours...

More pictures of the Tanaka Strawberry Farm tour, here.