A couple weekends ago, Nick and I headed to Tanaka Farms in Irvine to go Strawberry picking. I wanted to do it last year but we didn't have any time to go during strawberry season so it's pretty crazy it's been an entire year since!
It was a nice sunny day for strawberry picking, actually a little on the warm side.
We got sunburned! Then it rained the weekend after. That's OC weather for you.
So you go up and pay for your tour ticket and they give you a
little strawberry carton to put your strawberries in. How cute is that?
For some reason I think Nick looks like Christian Bale in this photo.
Anyone else see it? hehe.
So you basically get on this wagon pulled by a tractor and they take you around to all the different stops and give you fresh grown vegetables to try. We got sweet peas, carrots, onions, celery, and spinach. It was all really good! Minus the onions, we don't like onions ;)
Last stop is the strawberry patch. I'll be honest, I've never tasted sweeter strawberries! Now it's hard to buy strawberries at the market cause these were sooo good. We had about 15 minutes to fill our cartons and eat as many strawberries as we could!
I totally recommend this kind of thing for a simple date. Nick didn't know if he'd like it but he said it was really fun and now he wants to go back for pumpkin picking ;) Have you ever gone to pick fruit? I think apple picking would be fun. What kind of dates have you gone on lately? Always looking for fun ideas, would love to hear yours. Have a great day friends.
How cute!! I went strawberry picking once as a kid and had so much fun with it! I need to drag Mardy to do this one day ;)
ReplyDeleteAnd Nick totally looks like Christian Bale in that photo - it's that brooding serious look ;)
Oh my goodness I'm so jealous. When I lived down there I went in the Fall, but I never have visited Tanaka while strawberry season was going. I hope they have something like that up here!
ReplyDelete- Sarah
http://agirlintransit.blogspot.com
i love it there! so great to have it here in Irvine! now i'm craving strawberries! are you going to the irvine flea this weekend?
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to go fruit picking, but as my husband always puts it, "if you want to pick food, go to our garden". He's kinda right, but it would still be fun! And we went to a giant pumpkin patch up here last year, super fun and had rarer looking ones for cheap.
ReplyDeletestrawberry picking is one of my fave things ever! and yes, nick does kinda look like christian bale! ha - dye his hair dark brown/black and he's set for batman!
ReplyDeleteWe love Tanaka Farms!
ReplyDeleteSince I have kids, I always think of these activities to do with them, but you are right, what fun dates they are with your man!
Maybe my husband and I will do some of these dates just the two of us soon.
Since you asked, I'll share some of our favorite places with you.
I think they'd make great dates.
This one is perfect for a late spring date: blackberry picking in Irvine!
Here's the link and I have directions in the post. It is also a beautiful place for walks all year long. So many birds to see.
http://picnicsinthepark.blogspot.com/2010/06/urban-foraging-and-blackberry-crumble.html
Hope you give it a try--it's really fun!
Love from,
Greta
PS. I have a couple more ideas--I'll put in another comment.
As promised, here's another!
ReplyDeleteThis place is perfect for a fall date.
It's a bit of a drive, but trust me, so worth it.
We do the whole tour, but you can just go up for the day and pick apples and walk around.
It's so beautiful just a little way up the mountain that you'll love being there.
http://lillyandthebrothers.blogspot.com/2011/10/fall-trip-rileys-apple-farm-part-2.html
Love from,
Greta
OK, last one.
ReplyDeleteThis place is only open to the public on Saturday morning, but it would be fun to go walk around the farm and then pick out some wonderfully fresh produce from the farm stand.
It's in Chino and less than an hour drive from the OC. We love it there!
http://lillyandthebrothers.blogspot.com/2012/03/down-on-farm.html
Hope you like the ideas and get to try some.
Love from,
Greta
Fruit picking is one of my most favorite things about Spring and Summer. How absolutely fun!!!
ReplyDeleteI've wanted to do this too! Seems like a fun weekend activity. Glad to hear there is a place as close as Irvine. I've had fresh picked strawberries from farmer's markets before and they are so sweet. It's like they've been dipped in sugar already! They do kind of spoil supermarket strawberries but it's such a treat to get fresh ones.
ReplyDeletewhat a fun date! I live in WI and it's kind of crazy/awesome that you guys can go strawberry picking in March!!:) One of my best friend's family owns a strawberry farm and I love to visit in the summer and eat strawberries fresh off the vine - they taste like warm sunshine:) YUM!
ReplyDeleteI've been strawberry picking before and it's a lot of fun! Lovely pictures!
ReplyDeleteYes. Apple picking is also an excellent date! My partner and I favor Scrabble&Wine night quite a bit. If you;re looking for a fun double date idea, you should try a 'Breakfast Club'. Head over to your local farmers market, shop, plan, and then head back to someone's house for cooking and feasting!
ReplyDeletewe have some berry farms down on the coast and some toward the sacramento valley... this looks like so much fun!
ReplyDeletei've done peach picking with my family but i do want to try berries. gorgeous photos, too!
laurafornerphotography.blogspot.com
Oh my goodness, my husband and I would have had so much fun there. My husband grew up with a huge garden and loves talking to our girls about all the fruit and vegetables and how to garden. I love fresh strawberries.
ReplyDeleteHow fun! I always do that as a field trip for my school kids and they LOVE it. Now I want some strawberries. mmmm
ReplyDeleteOh what a fun date idea and right in my own backyard! I've never been, though all the moms have told me how much their kids love it! Thanks for the great idea!
ReplyDeletexx Vivian @ http://diamondsandtulle.blogspot.com
awwww how fun!! such a cute idea for a date!!
ReplyDeleteI so miss the road side strawberry stands in CA! So delicious.
ReplyDeleteI have really been wanting to go to Tanaka farms for one of their tours, so good to know you liked it! I'll have to talk the hubby into going with me.
ReplyDeleteSounds like fun!
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day and I totally agree that Nick looks like Christian Bale in that photo.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day and I totally agree that Nick looks like Christian Bale in that photo.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun day and I totally agree that Nick looks like Christian Bale in that photo.
ReplyDeleteAnother fun fruit to pick is cherry! I love the idea that you can bring them home to enjoy as well :)
ReplyDeletesounds like a fun date idea.
ReplyDeletemy boyfriend and i recently got icecream and went stargazing at the beach (this is when the weather was 80!). fun and inexpensive. :)
I love this place! It's great because they have seasonal produce and tours- watermelon picking in summer, pumpkins in the fall and so on. Yum, and the best strawberries in spring...what a fun day you had!
ReplyDeleteMy son would LOVE the tractor and veggie and strawberry picking. I think we are going to try to go this weekend. Thanks for the great post and gorgeous pictures.
ReplyDeleteHow fun!! My hubby and I visited San Fran this weekend (with a day trip to Sonoma & Muir Woods) and we fell in Love with the region. I can't stop daydreaming about it! We are now hoping there is a faculty opening at a university in California once hubby finishes his PhD.
ReplyDeleteLove berry picking! Too bad we don't have it here in Phoenix.
ReplyDeleteThat definitely looks fun, and an original idea for a date! Now I'd like to try something similar myself :)
ReplyDeleteA few weeks ago, my husband and I went to a u-pick farm and picked delicious strawberries, tomatoes, and green peppers. We both love going to u-pick farms!
ReplyDeleteIn college, a couple friends and I went apple picking in early fall (I think it was the beginning of October). We brought home paper bags full of apples for eating, baking, etc. as well as quarts of fresh apple cider. I love apple picking - the farm we went to had so many different varieties.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to try strawberry picking this year!
Looks like a beautiful day. Yummers... now my mouth is watering!
ReplyDeleteI used to love all the U-Pick farms back East, but Tanaka is the only one close to us here in California.. and I just think they are really expensive. $17 a person means it would cost $85 to take my kids.. and that's an expensive field trip for us.
ReplyDeleteWe've gone to their pumpkin patch the past few years and I have the some complaint then.. it's fun, but I feel like I paid $100 for my pumpkins in the end and that always makes me a little bitter about the experience!
I've gone fruit picking twice when I was child. It was very fun and I still remember it. :) One farm had the cutest gophers who'd come up and ask for food.
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute date! My bf & I go pumpkin picking every year. It's definitely become a tradition! I love fruit picking too. There are tons of U-Pick farms in Oregon. The best part is eating them as you pick like you said! Looks like you two had lots of fun.
ReplyDeleteWhat a sweet date idea! Love the photos! And I totally agree with Nick looking like Christian Bale in that photo!
ReplyDelete