It’s strawberry picking season! Strawberries are my favorite fruit, so I was extra excited when I got to go strawberry picking for the first time!
I had a reservation at Tanaka Farms for the 10am tour. I arrived with everything I thought I needed – sunscreen, sunglasses, water, and, of course, a sun hat – but it was cloudy! I decided to just put on sunscreen and leave the rest in my bag. Everyone got a tour picker sticker that they had to put on. Once it was time, we got on the wagon to head out to the field!
The admission fee includes one seasonal vegetable, a basket of strawberries, and access to the Barnyard Educational Exhibit! Our guide introduced some of the crops to us as we rode in the wagon. Fun fact: Orange carrots are not the healthiest! Try opting for a purple carrot next time.
Ironically, our first stop was for the seasonal vegetable: (orange) carrots. Our guide told us how to pick our carrots. Since the carrots are hidden in the soil, we don’t see what carrot we’re picking, but the thicker the stem, the more likely that it is a larger carrot. We each got a plastic bag to pick out 8-10 carrots. There was so much soil that came up with the carrots!
We got back on our wagon and continued on our journey. Along the way, we passed by sugarcane, bananas, papaya, avocado, limes, and grapefruit! Finally, we made it to the strawberries. Everyone was given a small basket. We could eat as many strawberries as we wanted and fill our basket as much as we could as long as the lid could close, but we only had 10 minutes total (including photo time)!
I picked a row and walked down, looking for the reddest strawberries I could find. I was afraid to eat the strawberries fresh since I didn’t have water to wash them, but I did eat one while picking! It was so sweet. I packed as many strawberries as I could in my box, while trying to capture some photos. Our guide told us to make sure all sides of the strawberry is red (and not green) to make sure it is fully ripe before pinching it off at the stem (don’t pinch too close to the bottom of the stem!). I wish we had more time to eat and take photos.
How many strawberries do you think I fit in my box?
I was able to fit 28 strawberries in my box – not too bad! I probably could have squeezed a few more in the box, but I didn’t want to squish my strawberries either.
The wagon brought us back toward the entrance and dropped us off in front of the Barnyard Educational Exhibit. There were a lot of different animals to check out – there were animals that were expecting and even a sheep whose wool is cut into the shape of a heart! A lot of them really liked looking away as I aimed my camera at them.
On our way out, we made sure to stop by some of the photo spots and the shop! Overall, it was a fun experience. I can’t wait to check out more fruit picking farms! Until then, let me enjoy my basket of strawberries…oh wait – I finished them all!