Tanaka Farms - Organic Strawberries - Yum!

Tanaka Farms

5380 3/4 University Dr.
Irvine, Ca 92612
949-653-2100 office
949-653-2256 Produce Stand
714-968-6588 reservation and information

In previous years, the family would go to brunch and call it a day. For Mother's Day 2009, I decided to do things a little differently for my mom. After corresponding with ECA to see if he was free and up for the plan, it was planning time!

The Plan:

Dim Sum at the new Capital Seafood in Irvine. I was sadly disappointed with Capital Seafood. We showed up at about 9:10 a.m. and were immediately seated. The service was slow and they were still preparing the dim sum!! We spent about $ 50 for 6 people on dim sum. That's not a lot in dim sum dollars and for that number of party. We left hungry! Well, I did anyway.

After dim sum - we headed over to 85 degrees for some baked goods and green milk tea with boba.

Then we headed to Tanaka Farm - The Treat! Tanaka Farms is located in the heart of Irvine next to Strawberry Farms Golf Course. It is an organic farm run by who else? The Tanaka family. This farm has been around since, at least, 1998. Here you will be able to tour their farm and try various fresh vegetables. After the vegetable tour, you will head on over to the strawberry patches to pick fresh strawberries AND you can eat as many as you want while you are there. They do not use pesticides. The redder the strawberry the better. Don't worry about a little dirt, just wipe it on your jeans. Unless you are a germaphobe, then I am truly sorry for you as you are missing out on some of the sweetest strawberries around. :P So courtesy of PJ, (ECA's girlfriend. I've been trying to figure out what to call her and I wanted to use something clever but I fail. I think PJ will be fine. :D), photos were taken by her as I forgot my camera. :(

You will not get lost with this huge sign as you drive up to the farm. If you do get lost - SHAME ON YOU!
Your tour begins on these very trailers! You don't see these around much in Orange County, CA.
The admission cost is $ 13 for an adult and cheaper for kids. (We did not have kids with us so I do not know the price for the little ones.) AND you get your very own sticker!! How cool is that! ;P
Look at the lustrous farmland. Probably the few last ones reminding in Orange County, CA. I guess scarecrows really work!
The husband picking away.


Here is me, looking for a desolute area to pick my strawberries.
Please do not pick the green ones. I can assure you they are not very tasty. See the two red ones to the right? Those are the ones you want! Tasty as can be!
What have we here? A big fat onion growing in the middle of these strawberry patches. Here's a little secret - the onions deter insects and bugs from treating themselves to the wonderful strawberries. (Now I know why the strawberries I grew many moons ago had holes in them. :O) Last but not least, your very own box of organic strawberries to take home! Yum! Yum!

I had a great time at Tanaka Farms and I like to think that my parents also enjoyed the experience. It is something I definitely recommend to families to do with their little ones. The kids will love the experience and you will be able to see it all over their faces! Literally!

I hope all the mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's day!