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Tanaka Farms
Category: Food Specialty Food Fruits & Veggies Fruits & Veggies [Edit]
5380 3/4 University DrIrvine, CA 92612
(949) 653-2100
- Hours:
Mon-Sun 9 am - 5 pm
- Price Range:
-
$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
109 reviews for Tanaka Farms
Review Highlights
"tanaka farms has an awesome pumpkin patch."
(in 32 reviews)
"The time spent at the petting zoo was short but fun."
(in 23 reviews)
"They also had a free corn maze, which we did not partake."
(in 18 reviews)
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109 reviews in English
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Review from Joyce M.
Los Angeles, CA
11/29/2011 1 Check-in Here
Very cute pumpkin patch!
The area next to University Dr. is for the children because there is a petting farm and some wagons to take pictures on.
On the other side, there's a huge pumpkin patch!
So many choices to choose from and the prices aren't bad. I got a medium shaped pumpkin, and it cost $6. They also have pumpkin carving tools along the side. You should buy them here because at Albertsons, they're $4.95 each. -
Review from david c.
Irvine, CA
12/16/2011
I went here because of all the great reviews and because of its website touting its locally farm-grown, organic selection; however, when I got to their produce stand, I'd say 75% of the fruits and veggies were conventionally grown - i.e. pesticides and hormones could have and were likely used. They said that they usually have more organic and local produce during other times of the year.
I was very disappointed that only a few items were organic, as this is the sole reason I came here. After being disappointed at the farmers' markets who also had very few organic items, I thought I could count on an actual farm to offer what I sought. Oh, not so. -
Review from Jonathan Z.
Orange, CA
11/26/2011 5 photos
I've been living in and around Irvine for over a decade. I finally made it this year to help friends look for pumpkins. The place is pretty impressive. Just look at all these pumpkins: http://www.yelp.com/bi...
They have a tractor ride, which stops to watch a girl shoot pumpkins at a hill (made me reminisce of my potato gun days). There are many billboards you could take personal photos by:
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
and
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
We went through a corn field maze to find an alien and the center of this rat race.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
By the maze was the snack bar full of American goodies: hot dogs, roasted corn, shaved ice, etc. The food was all good. Entry is free and everything else is fairly pricey, but stop and support a great place. -
Review from Mark J.
Irvine, CA
1/25/2012
Great little place with an awesome variety. I recommend it.
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Review from Tami D.
11/5/2011 3 photos
Tanaka Farms is a fun trip for the day. The tractor rides, pumpkin patch, and petting zoo make for a great field trip.
After a couple months into the school year, the kids love getting out of the classroom and stretching their legs at this farm. There's a lot to do here. The kids enjoyed hanging out with their friends on the very cool tractor ride. The time spent at the petting zoo was short but fun. The pumpkin patch was nice, but everything gets really picked over the closer it gets to Halloween. There's also a special area set aside for groups, and the children had a nice lunch there.
The next time we come here, we are really looking forward to picking fresh organic vegetables. We also can't wait to get our own container to do some strawberry picking! This is such a fun way to spend some quality time with the kids. -
Review from Aaron F.
10/29/2011
What better place to go for such a large selection of pumpkins? This is my 2nd time ever for the pumpkin patch and am enjoying it more and more.
You can easily spend at least 4 hours which I did, especially with kids. They have petting zoos, games, food, vegetable picking, pumpkin picking, and tours on a tractor! So much to do! Also, the property is quite large so have fun walking around. The tractor rides give you a better understanding and idea how this place works by driving you to areas that are generally off limits going by yourself.
Since we came so close to Halloween the choice of pumpkins was quite slim. Most of them were rotten or broken. The other batch of nice pumpkins were quite hard to find. I recommend coming earlier in the month for a quality find.
All the people that work there are very nice and friendly. What is even better, all the vegetables are organic!
I kept seeing mostly Mom's or women wearing heals and nice clothes.. Um, this is a farm, not a club. I recommend wearing sturdy shoes and comfy clothes you do not mind getting dirty.
A few things to think about for people that go next time....
When going on a tractor tour don't sit right next to the tractor, I could smell the fuel. Not what I want to inhale on a farm.
This is for the guys, when you are at the petting zoo, watch out for goats punching you in the groin. These animals are hungry and will jump on you. Sometimes the hoof will make a direct hit like what happened to yours truly, lol. Some of the goats were a little aggressive so keep an eye on your kid if they get afraid of them.
The sole reason why I am giving it four stars is the food prices. I paid $3.00 for a hot dog. I realize we do not pay for parking or entrance but it was a little steep regardless. All the other pricing for the veggies were cheap so maybe its the non healthy food they charge more. -
Review from Emily L.
11/21/2011 1 Check-in Here
Such a cute place. Whether you're a kid or a grownup (kid inside) you will enjoy this lovely place!!!
I went here with my mom and fiance to pick pumpkins. We live in Garden Grove so it's not like a 5 minute drive to this place, but I had heard lots of good stuff about it so I figured the 25 minute drive woudl be worth it .. and boy was it.
There was a small produce stand towards the front of the farm where you could purchase pumpkins, fruit, veggies, etc ... and there was even a little petting zoo and carnival area for the weekend crowd. We drove past that to go to the actual pumpkin patches so we could pick our own!
When you park, you walk right into the patches and there are thousands of pumpkins! Literally a sea of orange for days and it is so cool to see. They have the patches sectioned off with smaller pumpkins and larger as well as GIANT ones! It is nice to see this kind of thing since nowadays in Orange County there are a lot of pumpkin patches but they are more like a pumpkin stand with a billion jump houses and rides and no real farm.
If I had kids I would take them here and take photos and have a whole day of it. I can't wait!!!
The ladies that work there are super friendly too! Very helpful and know a lot about the farm and its history.
I can't wait for the summer to go on the Strawberry picking tour!!!!! -
Review from Steve M.
10/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
It's pumpkin patch time at Tanaka Farms aka Strawberry Farms. This place looks like it should sell homemade pies, and everytime I drive past it I think about apple and pumpkin pie. They do not sell ANY pies however, just a nice selection of "brads"-pumpkin, banana, etc
They aso sell nuts, seeds (pumpkin) fruits and vegetables, just no pie.
Why oh why is there no pie? -
Review from Cass H.
11/8/2011
Picking out a pumpkin at the Tanaka Farms pumpkin patch is SO much more fun than picking one up at the grocery store! We may not have kids yet, but this is fun for all ages.
I'm sure my husband was super thrilled with my obsession with finding the PERFECTLY ROUND PUMPKIN. I was thrilled with all the choices! It's kind of like Christmas tree picking. The poor man has to hold up and spin every tree before I decide on one.
Aaaanyways..Tanaka Farms had a huge selection of pumpkins, even being the day before Halloween. Even better, at the check out line they had every tool you could possibly need for carving.
They also had a free corn maze, which we did not partake. What a fun place, though! Minus one star because the rotting pumpkins attract flies like woah and it totally started grossing me out.
I'm excited to do the strawberry and watermelon tours in the spring/summer. The husband is also very interested in their CSA program. -
Review from Kislev A.
A real working farm in the middle of an industrial/commercial metropolis!
I don't know how Tanaka Farms survived the Irvine dictatorship, but I am glad it did. Sometimes I forget that only a few years ago, Orange County was considered "boonies" by most of us living more to the west of the southland.
If you're expecting a pumpkin PATCH, fuggedaboudit! This place is so big it has it's own traffic controller, a parking lot (dirt lot), tractor rides, produce stands, petting zoo (more like corral), pumpkin farm, veggi farm, christmas tree farm, and... wait for it... A PUMPKIN CANNON!!!!
It's free to enter, $5 for the 15 minute tractor ride, $3 for the petting zoo, and the produce are all/mix $3/lb.
They have private areas you can reserve/rent for private parties and bring your own food.
Very cool!
Our friends and I enjoyed it so much we are talking about making this an annual tradition for us and our kids! -
Review from Selavi M.
Anaheim, CA
I knew I must be an organic farmer in past life when I harvested my own produce at Tanaka Farms!! =D
We came for the Summer Cookout, picked our lunch straight from mother earth, seasoned and spiced our harvest, ate their sweet corn RAW, had the chef cooked our meal, enjoyed our nutritious lunch at the top of the hill, AYCE Buttercup Watermelon (have I told you, yellow is my fave color?) and finally got a wagon ride back to the parking lot.
Will definitely bring my mom here when she's in State =) -
Review from Melissa J.
Cerritos, CA
11/8/2011 1 Check-in Here
Never picked a pumpkin so what better way than to get the experience here at Tanaka Farms! =]
Did the corn maze, wagon ride, took fun pictures, and enjoyed the weather.
Here is a quick walkthrough of my experience there!
http://www.youtube.com... -
Review from JASON R.
9/12/2011 3 Check-ins Here
The CSA box program is the greatest thing ever. I have no clue how my wife and I kept ourselves nourished before we got the boxes.
Friday afternoons have never been so exciting... can't wait to get my box!!! -
Review from Jeena E.
8/2/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Tanaka Farms is family owned and worked and makes a great place to pick up fresh produce if you are in the area!
I can recall when Irvine as a city stopped at Jeffery and there was nothing but orange groves south all of the way to Lake Forest. Obviously Irvine has doubled in size in the last 15 years and Tanaka Farms is the only remnant of Irvine's agricultural past.
Tanaka Farms offers a plethora of fresh and locally grown vegetables for sale depending on season. Watermelon, Strawberries, Pumpkins, Squash, Cauliflower, Celery, Cilantro, Spinach, Cantaloupe, Carrots, Radishes, Purple Kohlrabi, Romaine, Green Leaf Lettuce, Red Leaf Lettuce, Kale and Snap Peas are available in their produce stand at competitive prices and the freshness and quality far exceeds any supermarket. I would often do my produce shopping here before stopping at Gelson's for this very reason.
Their chocolate hand dipped strawberry are of superlative freshness and sweetness! On the top 10 desserts of all time, these alone are worth the stop at Tanaka Farms. Guys, you can score HUGE brownie points for $5.00 or less here (hint, hint).
They offer picnics and tours to the public regularly if you are into that sort of thing and the farm is located next to Strawberry Farms Golf Course and Driving Range so one could work on their swing before hand if one was so inclined.Listed in: The Great Outdoors!
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Review from Reema H.
Irvine, CA
9/23/2011
This is my go-to place for fruit! Always fresh and full of variety. And when you've missed UCI's Saturday Farmer's Market; this is open all week from 9am-6pm!
I like just walking on to a real farm and having dirt under my feet and seeing rows of vegetables planted everywhere. -
Review from Shannon C.
San Diego, CA
10/17/2011
I drive up from San Diego every Fall to visit Tanaka Farms! It's a HUGE farm, family owned and operated, tons of fun for the whole family, and they even shoot pumpkins from a cannon on the tractor ride.
Visit the front produce stand for the best chips & salsa around. -
Review from Angela C.
7/24/2011 11 Check-ins Here
I love this place! I started to incorporate more locally grown veggies in my diet after watching the documentary, Food Matters. I decided to join a CSA with Tanaka Farms so I get a small box filled with 6-8 different produce each week for $20.
Everything I've bought here tastes sooo fresh. I love learning to eat seasonally. I bought strawberries from March-June, now that it's summer I love getting sweet corn, watermelons, and green beans here. The produce here tastes infinitely better than those sold at large chain supermarkets. Yes, I can tell a difference!
I can't wait to bring my daughter here (when she's old enough) for strawberry picking in spring, watermelon picking in summer, pumpkin picking in fall, and christmas tree choosing in winter.
So happy there's a place like this in our neighborhood! -
Review from patty u.
Riverside, CA
10/9/2011
1st time here for the pumpkin patch; beautiful and impressive. Will have to make it a yearly visit or probably sooner, didnt have enough time to visit the fruits n vegetables.
Informative kind staff and affordable prices! -
Review from Aja R.
Orange, CA
11/15/2011 1 Check-in Here
Loved it! They have a huge veggie garden you can pick yourself for $1.99 a pound, it was so much fun for my 4 year son! The pumpkin filed was huge and they give you a wheel barrel if you need it! I went for the Halloween festivities and it was fun for my 4yr old and he also loved the petting zoo! I am going back for the Christmas special they have there too! Prices aren't bad either! Oh Oh I almost forgot they have tiny market and hayrides!
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Review from Nam N.
Per my sister T's suggestion, we grabbed some of the kids and headed over to Tanaka Farms--a lush 30 acre farm nestled in Irvine that produces amazing fruits and vegetables.
Founded by Teruo Tanaka, Tanaka Farms is family owned and operated and has been in existence for over 100 years. The farm "strives to provide quality produce and to educate the community on the values of healthy eating". The family also practices organic farming methods.
The produce at Tanaka Farms are grown using a "companion planting" method. By this, different produce are planted together as the chemicals each of the varietals naturally produce allow each other to thrive. For example, strawberry plants are grown together with Maui onions. Guess this is a perfect (and natural) example of how opposites can attract :)
In addition to having a produce stand filled with fresh products, Tanaka Farms offers farm tours. Tours typically include a 75 minute wagon ride around the land which is pulled by a tractor. Throughout the ride, the wagon stops and guests are able to try freshly picked vegetables!
Our veggie "tasting menu" for the day included wax beans, green beans, celery, green onions, and carrots. The tour is an AMAZING way to educate kids about how produce is grown and to encourage them to eat their veggies.The last portion of the tour was my favorite--STRAWBERRY TIME! Since we took the tour during Strawberry season, guests are allowed off the wagons to pick and enjoy delicious and gorgeous strawberries! We had 15 minutes to fill our 1-pound baskets and eat as many strawberries as we liked!
Not going to lie.....I'm pretty sure I inhaled almost a pound of strawberries myself in addition to packing my basket. And I don't have the least bit of remorse as they were some of the best strawberries I've ever tasted! So sweet and juicy!
We were incredibly lucky as it was a gorgeous, sunny California day. We had a fantastic time at Tanaka Farms and loved that it's so conveniently accessible. The kids enjoyed trying out new produce, learning about crops, riding in the wagon, and of course--indulging in the amazing strawberries.
On top of all of those things, I loved that we were supporting a family owned operation of 4 generations of Japanese Americans. They run the farm on little government assistance but are committed, nonetheless, to cultivating quality produce while educating the community. That, dear friends, is truly commendable. -
Review from Amy K.
6/10/2011 1 Check-in Here
I must have been inspired by Aimee G's ROTD as I stopped at Tanaka Farms on my way home instead of going to Ralphs or Trader Joe's. While nothing was marked organic, and much of the produce is not actually from this farm (and some is from Mexico), they do have a nice selection. They also sell baked goods, chips and salsa, and nuts and preserves.
For $17, I purchased kale, a bunch of very large radishes, a pint of yellow cherry tomatoes, a pint of white mushrooms, a mango, a small bag of green beans, and a pint of strawberries, which I was told are "pesticide-free" when I asked if they are organic.
I tasted both the strawberries and the radishes as soon as I got home, and both were very fresh and flavorful. Definitely better than the produce at the big store down the street, but of course, the better taste and quality come with a price. To me, it's highly worth it. -
Review from jennifer L.
Los Angeles, CA
Strawberry shortcake. Strawberry muffins. Strawberry smoothies. Strawberries Forever. Possibilities are endless after picking my own strawberries at Tanaka Farms.
Located in a hidden valley of the Irvine hills, Tanaka Farms is a wonderful 30-acre, family-owned farm that produces organic fresh fruits & veggies.
Best known for their Strawberry Tours (mid-March to end of June), you are transported on a tractor-pulled wagon for a guided tour around the farm (approx. 1.25 hours). You learn how fruits & veggies are grown and get to sample their organic seasonal produce (carrots, snap peas, Maui onion, green onions). The last stop is the strawberry fields, where you get to indulge in an all-you-can-eat strawberries buffet and pick strawberries to fill a 1-pound basket to take home.
Tips:
+ Bring a plastic bag to place uneaten samples of veggies that are passed around the tractor during the tour. (Not everyone likes to eat raw Maui onions.) Score for you!
+ Bring a big appetite for strawberries. Near the end of the tour, you are dropped off at the strawberry fields and literally can eat as many strawberries until your heart's content. There was a time I consumed 12 large, sweet strawberries and was in HEAVEN. (I even sneaked some in my pocket) I ended up having red-stained fingers and pockets.
Goal: Make as many dishes+desserts with strawberries! This is where culinary creations with strawberries begin.
Next Tours: Cookout Tours (Mid-March to end of August), Watermelon Tours (July to August), and our Pumpkin Patch Tour (end of Sept. to end of October) -
Review from Annalisa A.
Dana Point, CA
8/1/2011
We had a wonderful time on the Watermelon Tour! My 2-year old can't stop talking about it.
We enjoyed eating our way through the farm while the tour guide gave us great tips and tidbits of info regarding fruits and vegetables. Who knew every single strawberry has exactly 200 seeds?! We can't wait to go back for the pumpkin and strawberry tours.
Thank you for a fun & healthy family day, Tanaka Farms! -
Review from jenna c.
6/28/2011 1 Check-in Here
Amazing. Genius. Brilliantly run family owned ORGANIC farm. You can eat the veggies & fruit directly from the tree/plant. SO COOL!!!! LOVED the experience!
There really is a difference in taste when you get it directly from the Organic Farm. Flavors have never been so vibrant! Their sweet corn you can even eat RAW!!!! It is a MUST TRY!
The hubby and I will be joining the CSA box program with them too. Can't wait to get my veggies each week!
Can't wait to take my kids here... once we have kids. hehehehe.Listed in: LA-LA
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Review from marilyn v.
Westminster, CA
7/8/2011
Having people pay to pick their own strawberries?? what a genius idea!
Tanaka Farms is a great place to take a date, the kids, or even a small group of friends who enjoy doing random things. I went last week with my buddies and only paid $7 for the tour and 1lb basket of strawberries, normally it's $15 but I think it was half off because it was the end of the strawberry season. Sweet strawberry frickin deal!
The wagon tour is about an hour long, we went on a Wednesday so it wasn't that crowded. Unfortunately we couldn't hear our tour guide that well, the speakers were fuzzy wuzzy. At first, I started off washing my strawberries, but time was running out so I just ate it straight off the vine...It's an organic farm but I'm sort of a germaphobe.... oh well, GOD MADE DIRT AND DIRT DON'T HURT!
Overall I had a great time trying fresh fruits and veggies and strawberry pickin'
LOVE:
-THE RAW CORN, THE BEST CORN I'VE EVER HAD!
- The strawberries were very sweet
- that they are going to start watermelon picking this month
- that i only had to pay $7.... $15 is still worth it though
HATE:
-that we only got to pick 15 minutes to pick strawberries, I didn't have enough time to stuff my face with fresh picked berries :(
tips: follow them on twitter for discounts, call in to see when the best time to go for the freshes fruits, DON'T WEAR SANDALS OR NEW SHOES!! the dirt is muddy at times... therefore it gets dirty/slippery...
ENJOY AND EAT FRESH FOOD! -
Review from Pete F.
6/11/2011
Our family loves Tanaka Farms. Their strawberry tour is great fun for kids and grownups alike. It's a guided wagon tour where you sample raw fresh produces along the way and end with a stop at the strawberry fields where you can feast on as many delicious strawberries as you can pull off the vines. In the summer, they also have a watermelon tour that works the same way. After the tour, they have grilled corn, hot dogs, tamales, and other snacks at their food stand. The people there are also so warm and friendly. It feels really like a family oriented business.
We also love their produces that we get through their CSA program where we get a box of their fresh produce, whatever's in season, delivered weekly. If you participate in the CSA program, you also get a number of tours/events free each year. You can't beat it.
Through Tanaka Farms produce and events, it's a great way to educate kids on eating healthy. The sight of our 3 year old this morning on a tour polishing down one raw sugar snap peas after another and chomping down a carrot was simply priceless. -
Review from Burrito M.
San Francisco, CA
7/15/2011
Cookout tour at Tanaka Farms last weekend was a blast! The whole fam got to eat fresh picked fruits and veggies straight out of the ground, it was a fun time for all. The concept is, you tour the farm while picking your own vegetables, take it to a picnic area where you wash and prep your harvest, they grill it for you, then you eat to your heart's content!
Highlights:
- Fresh strawberries - sun ripened and sweet, can't be beat!
- Sweet white corn - when they brought us corn to snack on, I thought they were crazy for serving raw corn. I've tasted raw corn in the past and it can be nasty and starchy when it's not cooked. To my surprise, it was SOOO good, crunchy, sweet, and perfect. I never want to eat corn any other way!
- I'd never seen green beans, eggplant, celery, broccoli, etc in their plant form. So walking around the farm, I definitely learned something new!
- Shopping at the farmstand - I picked up a watermelon, MORE corn, cherry tomatoes, etc. Everything was delicious. I'll definitely come back just for the farmstand produce.
- According to the tour guide, this farm practices organic methods - so no fertilizer or pesticides! Doesn't look like they are USDA certified organic, but I seeing it for yourself really helps.
Low point:
- Although picking and tasting fruits and veggies was awesome, the cookout was not so awesome. The "cookout" was essentially a bunch of haphazardly chopped up veggies in foil, tossed on the grill for 10-15 minutes. Everything came out undercooked - and some veggies are definitely not meant to be eaten undercooked - i.e. daikon, radish, eggplant, etc. There is a lot of room for improvement for sure. Seems as though they would be better off having a real chef preparing dishes in advance with the freshest pick, then just letting the guests take home what they harvested. I would definitely pay more (and come back often), if the food served at the cookout improved.
Even so, the low point didn't entirely diminish my pure enjoyment of the experience. Next time, skip the cookout. LOVE! -
Review from Cindy E.
Los Angeles, CA
5/30/2011
LOVE this place!!
We've been on their strawberry, watermelon, and pumpkin tours. You ride a wagon and they stop a few times to hand you fresh vegetables to eat (bok choy, onions, carrots, celery, spinach, etc). Then you proceed to either the strawberry or pumpkin patch.
On the watermelon tour, you stop at a huge tent and they cut watermelon after watermelon for you to eat. You don't get to pick your watermelon at the end...they'll hand a small one to you to take home.
I LOVE the strawberry picking. You can eat as many as you want as you pick. You have about 15 minutes to eat/fill your basket. These are the BEST strawberries I've ever had. And they don't use pesticides! Yay!
Produce can be a bit pricey but you do pay for the quality. And it supports a local farm!
I did do the CSA boxes for a few months...everything was so fresh! -
Review from Kristine T.
Irvine, CA
6/28/2011
Produce doesn't get any fresher than this.
My friend and I went to the strawberry fields tours and had a great time eating fresh food and picking strawberries. Along the tractor/wagon ride through the farms, we got to try fresh vegetables that tasted amazing, especially without the pesticides! I didn't know that Tanaka farms grew so many vegetables, so it was nice to know that something so local can produce so much.
Our tour guide Anthony was great too!
I love how we can pick our own strawberries, really felt like i got to choose the best!
Also we went shopping in their market. I'm definitely going here more for my vegetables because of their great price and quality. Their salsa is great too! And, if you take the tour, you can get 2 dollars off a purchase of $10.
If you get hungry while you're waiting, try the food at the food stand! Their tamales are really good!
If you're in Irvine, you have to go to Tanaka Farms at least once! -
Review from Jina R.
Pacifica, CA
I absolutely loved my experience at Tanaka Farms. I'm upset that I didn't know about this place when I lived here for 4 years attending UCI! I definitely would've taken advantage of the proximity. Oh well.
Moving on, I came here on a Saturday morning and it was pretty packed. They had booths set up and a performance going on. They also had canopies set up where volunteers were handing out free capri sun, hot dogs, and freshly grilled vegetables. Yes... FREE! You can and should bring cash to donate though. I would recommend going early because by the time we got done with the strawberry tour around 1ish, there was a massive line. I'm not sure if they have it every weekend... might've only been that weekend for a fundraising event.
The strawberry tour was super fun. We were able to sample fresh green & yellow beans, celery, carrots, sweet white corn, and even green onion! The corn was amazing! Make sure to bring a plastic bag because they hand out bundles of the samples and whatever you have left over, you can take with you. At the end, I think you get around 15 min to pick your own strawberries and you can eat them while you're filling up your container.
Also, they offer you a special in their market if you've gone on their tour. I think it's $2 off or a free bag for spending $10. Not completely sure, but I didn't end up buying anything because the produce was a little expensive. I'm sure the quality justifies the price, but I had already gone grocery shopping. I'm definitely looking into their CSA program though.
I really want to go back for their watermelon and pumpkin patch tours! -
Review from Julie L.
5/6/2011
I thought they only offered tours and hayrides (seasonal) but they have their own produce stand as well. Prices are comparable to a farmer's market.
Strawberries weren't sweet but they looked good. Freshest, crispest lettuce I've had in my life. Will be back to try the other vegetables! -
Review from Denis K.
Pasadena, CA
7/11/2011
Great place for a kids (and adults) field trip to learn about vegetables and fruits. The wagon tour was very informative and fun. Their approach lets you remove yourself from big city life and chow down on their seasonal produce with a little bit of dirt and all. One lady did find a worm in her raw corn. So becareful of that little extra bit of unexpected protein.
Their staff is extra friendly. Overall, a great experience to see, touch, taste as well as buy some fresh organic produce from this local grower.. -
Review from Luis J.
Santa Ana, CA
10/20/2011 6 photos
Anything that entertains my kids for free gets 5 stars! Great place to go year round, on a recent trip we went during the pumpkin patch and my kids loved it. Race through the corn maze, get lost in the hay maze, sit atop of the hay throne with your pumpkin minions beneath you, or just take turns pushing each other in the wheelbarrel throughout the farm. Bring sneakers as you might get rocks in your flip flops or get pricked by the tiny thorns on the pumpkin vines. They also have a tour riding on a tractor but they charge for than not sure how much. You can pick out your own pumpkin, they price by weight but still cheaper than buying local.
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Review from Allen D.
Los Angeles, CA
12/11/2011
FINALLY a Christmas Tree seller who believes in going the extra mile! This year, for some reason, the selection of 7' to 8' Noble Fir trees in the Newport Beach area was terrible. I went to Roger's Gardens, Armstrong, the Costa Mesa Fairgrounds, Home
Depot and several independent lots and all their trees were crummy or too big or too small. So, I went on line and found out about Tanaka Farms and we drove out there early Saturday morning. WOW! First of all, the place is immaculate--for a farm type of operation. I mean there are gravel roads and such, so your car may get a bit dusty, but the place itself has PRIDE written all over it. The selection of trees was the best I have seen anywhere. Every tree was set up on a stand, with WATER IN IT and the aisles were wide enough that you could stroll through the rows to find the perfect tree. The workers there were very helpful in bringing a tree out so you could see all around it. When we found the perfect tree, they sawed off a 1/4" of the bottom, so it would be a fresh cut. They shook the tree to get any dry needles off, of which there were very few, as the tree was SO FRESH! Delivery to Newport Beach was $35.00, which I was happy to pay. Armstrong on PCH, which is a FIFTH of the distance to our home as Tanaka is, wanted $40.00 to deliver. When the delivery was made, two gentleman came in an enclosed truck. When they came into our home, they put booties over their shoes. They set the tree up, leveled it with shims that they had brought and actually swept up any needles that had fallen on their way into our home. I tipped each of them $10.00! As long as Tanaka Farms sells Christmas trees, I will never buy one anywhere else. The way this place is run, you can tell that the owner takes great pride in what he or she does. The smiling faces, the courtesy and the "can do" attitude are something that seems to be getting so rare these days. It was an absolute pleasure to do business with the nice folks at Tanaka Farms. -
Review from Ivan B.
Tustin, CA
11/3/2011 1 Check-in Here
Fun day for the kids in the pumpkin patch. We visited the day before Halloween, but there were still pumpkins to choose from. There was a corn maze, vegetables to "harvest", and everything you need to carve a pumpkin.
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Review from Robin W.
6/10/2011
There is so much to love about Tanaka Farms.
There is nothing like it in Orange County. A beautiful, organic farm that offers a day of fun. Great for families or just people who like organic produce.
In the summer, they have strawberry and watermelon tours. Hope on a tractor and for $15, sample farm-fresh veggies and pick your own berries. For watermelon, they pick it for you, then you pick the one I picked. (Sounds confusing. It's not).
In the fall, the pumpkin tour is great. No veggie samples but they do have a pumpkin cannon and corn maze (a real one). Pumpkins are pricey here so come for the experience, not necessarily the pumpkins.
You can buy produce and many other goodies in the farm store including fresh, roasted corn. A definite must-visit. -
Review from Malisa C.
Upland, CA
6/24/2011
If you have kids, PLEASE make it a point to bring them here at least once a year!!!
I first brought my Girl Scout Brownie troop here for pumpkin patch tours- we're from Upland, and I can't tell you how much bitching and complaining I heard from some of the mom's about it being SO far... After our tour, the biggest, whiniest complainers were all raving about how wonderful it was and how they plan on coming back every year!
They are GREAT for groups! Aimee is you contact, and she is PHENOMENAL!!! SO sweet and kind!!! The girls all got to pick their own pumpkins (anything they could carry without rolling, including cinderella white ones and the ones covered in crazy wart looking things!), pick a wide variety of veggies out of the ground, go on a wagon ride, and experience a petting zoo!!!
We will all be back again in the fall and plan on making it a yearly family event as well! Everyone who works here is super friendly- my daughter got to meet 'Farmer Kenny' and he was wonderful!!! A So-Cal must for anyone with kids, and well worth the drive for people outside of OC!!! -
Review from Tony D.
Whittier, CA
10/31/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is great. My wife and I took our niece and nephew here and we had a wonderful time. Its a bit of a drive but well worth it.
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Review from Eric L.
Los Angeles, CA
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
The place to be! It has the small-town farm feel but in the middle of Irvine. Go there for dates, family outings, or to buy produce. You can't go wrong.
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Review from Bob R.
Los Angeles, CA
I love this place for several reasons. I am from the midwest and the atmosphere at Tanaka Farms reminds me of home a lot. Also it is nice to be outside during this time of year. This offers quite a large pumpkin patch so you can stroll around and enjoy the air. They have a pretty good selection of pumpkin carving tools near the check out, there is a small corn maze, wagon rides, pumpkin canon, petting zoo, amongst other things. We bought 4 small to medium sized pumpkins for $15 so the prices are pretty good too.
