Tanaka Farms has been operating since 1940, offering strawberry tours in the Spring, watermelon tours in the Summer, and of course pumpkin tours in the Fall.
We drove an hour south to Irvine California and got there shortly after they opened at 9am. It was nice there was free parking.
As we walked up, we saw so many pumpkins in the fields nearby.
Just a $2 admission fee with the kiddos being free.
Welcome to the Pumpkin Patch!
Where should we go first? I know exactly where; to get some prices. That's going to determine what we're walking away with at the end of the day. The only thing you see on the way in is a sign that says U-Pick Pumpkins - Sliding Scale by the lb. Well that's not very helpful.
I ducked into the checkout and got a picture of the sheet the cashiers use.
Earlier this week, I was at the grocery store and weighed a medium sized pumpkin which turned out to be about 17 pounds. That pumpkin would cost $14.50 here. Maybe just a small pumpkin from here today...
So many beautiful pumpkins.
Plus a few yucky ones. This one was right by the entrance and should have been removed. There were hundreds of flies, and not just here, but all around the pumpkin patch.
Ian meeting a scarecrow.
Smile!
Meeting the next scarecrow.
Getting our picture on top of "Tanaka's Pile of Flies", oh, I mean "Tanaka's Pile of Pumpkins".
Big smile from Elliott.
These are some good pumpkins!
Get your hand off my pumpkin!
While we were wandering the fields, I kept hearing what sounded like blasts of compressed air coming from the back of the farms. Whoa! A pumpkin cannon!
For $4 for one shot, or $7 for two shots, you get to press the plunger and send a pumpkin over 100 yards into the hillside beyond.
That hill in the background, that's where it's headed.
3...2...1...Fire!
Elliott and Gene were up next.
Boom!
I can't see. A little help please!
That's better.
Ta-da.
Though I like the other side better.
One of the things I really look forward to at these kinds of places are the different foods available. I know at the apple orchard in Michigan, there's donuts, cider, and all sorts of tasty treats. Sadly there wasn't anything special here. I wonder if anything comes from the farm. Maybe the corn or fruit salad?
Last, we decided to wander through the corn maze.
Ian is getting really good at walking now. His biggest challenge now is not getting distracted.
Ian, we're lost! Help us find our way out!
He really enjoys being tossed around. Want him to smile? Pretend like you're going to drop him.
On our way out, we still hadn't chosen a pumpkin. We were planning on just leaving, but saw they had piles of mini pumpkins for just $5 for 3 of them. Sounds good to me.
By 11am, we were back in our car. Hmm, what else is nearby...
Disneyland is just up the road... How about a quick stop there before we go home!
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