Tanaka Farms CSA, Irvine, CA Videos

☔️ It's rainy day pickup day! When our farm and produce stand have to close, CSA box pickup at the farm is (almost always) still open! You'll get an email if it's a rainy day pickup kinda day. Where is the alternate location? From Strawberry Farms Rd, turn right into the small employee parking lot. Follow signs to the white box truck. Boxes will be in the back of the truck. You can pull your car right up to the truck for quick loading. Make sure to take your correct size. Empty boxes can be left here too. Offsite locations may have their own rainy day protocols, so ask your site host if anything changes.

🌶🌶🌶 Let’s talk Shish*to Peppers! Some common questions surround these little pods of mystery. Shish*to peppers are most popular in Japan and Korea. Shish*to translates to “Lion Pepper”. They are usually harvested green, but turn red as it ripens. Both are delicious and the color does not indicate it’s heat level. Only about 1 in 10 shish*tos is spicy. If you serve it up family style, it’s a fun conversation starter - “Did you get a sweet one or a spicy one?”. Even chili experts can’t distinguish a sweet one from a burning hot one 🌶 on the same plant. Because of its thin skin, shish*tos are often served slightly blistered with a simple seasoning as a side dish in Japanese restaurants. They are very flavorful and work well with steak skewers, relishes, pizza toppings and more!

🥕🍅🌽🥬🍉🍊🥒🫑 This weeks box 8/8 to 8/14: (The listed contents may change slightly from "This Week's Box" list. Your box will always contain the same number of items.) MINI: Bok Choy Carrots Corn Lettuce Tomato (cherry, Roma, large) SMALL: Watermelon (red, yellow) Sweet Peppers OR Carrots Peaches Sweet Corn OR Cucumbers Tomatoes (large, Roma, cherry) Bok Choy Romaine Lettuce LARGE; Peaches Baby Maui Onion Romaine Lettuce Watermelon (red, yellow) Zucchini (green, yellow, patty pan) Sweet Peppers Tomatoes (large, Roma, cherry) Microgreens Sweet Corn OR Cucumbers Bok Choy Carrots What deliciousness will you make with your CSA produce this week?

🍅🍅🍅. The Hunt for Red Tomato! Our field workers are so skilled at harvesting only the most perfectly ripe tomatoes for your CSA boxes. They do this at the break of dawn. By the time I walked up and down the rows it was hard for me to find a red one. I know they are all snug in your boxes waiting to be enjoyed!

🌱 What have we growing here? Hint: rhymes with “rye wheeze song leans” 😀🌱

What are we harvesting and packing up for you this week 7/11 to 7/17? 🍉🥒🍅🍈🥕🫑🍑 The listed contents may change slightly from "This Week's Box" list. Your box will always contain the same number of items. MINI Kale Carrots Sweet Peppers Maui Onion Tomatoes SMALL Watermelon (red, yellow) Beets OR Microgreens Peaches Sweet Peppers Tomatoes Maui Onion Kale LARGE Peaches Sweet Peppers Kale Watermelon (red, yellow) Maui Onion Zucchini (green, yellow, patty pan) Tomatoes Beets OR Microgreens Carrots Bok Choy Green Beans What are you looking forward to the most? Happy cooking!

The simple ear of corn - you're beautiful as you are or all dressed up! Once upon a time we had a Corn Bar at the farm... top a roasted cob with butter, crema, mayo, bacon bits, spicy Cheetos, cilantro, parmesan, Tajin seasoning. Gotta admit, they're pretty good plain too! How are you enjoying your ears?

🌱 Baby Maui onions are mild and eventually grow into the softball sized Maui onions that we harvest during the summer. 🌱 This crop is a useful pest deterrent as you can see here planted between our strawberries. We crowd plant them to harvest as the baby onions now in the CSA boxes. 🌱 How are you making use of your onions? #responsiblefarming #companionplanting

We have an abundance of beautiful cruciferous vegetables growing! Broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, bok choy, cabbage. Check out this morning’s cruciferous tour 🌱🥦🌱. Which is your favorite crucifer?

Here is the first of several cooking demonstrations by various experts planned for this spring! Our own vegan chef, Joni made cauliflower tacos, strawberry salsa and coconut lime rice - so yummy! Finished product in comments. The next one is scheduled for January 30th at noon (FREE for CSA members)! She will be making some farm to table Super Bowl eats with items from your CSA box - buffalo cauliflower bites, veggie-ful hush puppies and more. Yes, there are samples after the demo!!

One of the ways that we are sustainable here at Tanaka Farms is through our utilization of on-site composting! Here’s a peek into our composting process. We cold compost these big piles of farm waste to turn it back into beautiful, nutrient-dense soil that we use in our growing process. It takes about 3-6 months, but it’s well worth the wait

Did you know? Community Supported Agriculture is good for the environment? By buying direct farm-to-table produce, you reduce your environmental footprint by reducing food mileage and resource use. Plus! Food that travels less tastes more fresh

In observance of Labor Day, Tanaka Farms will be closed on Monday, September 6th, 2021. If this would be your regularly scheduled CSA Box day you will not be charged for the skipped box. If your subscription is on the weekly schedule, your subscription will resume on 9/13. If your subscription is on the EOW-A schedule, your subscription will resume on 9/20. We here at Tanaka Farms hope you have a fun and safe holiday weekend.

🎃🎃 PUMPKIN PATCH ALERT! 🎃🎃 Reservations for the 2021 Pumpkin Patch on sale now! Open September 18th through October 31st! Have you ever picked your own pumpkin right out of the pumpkin patch? Tanaka Farms is one of the only farms in Orange County with a REAL pumpkin patch! We offer lots of activities, from wagon rides to arts and crafts! For more information and lots and lots of answers to frequently asked questions…visit our PUMPKIN PATCH FAQ page. Looking for something different? Join us at the inaugural HANA FIELD PUMPKIN PATCH for a smaller, more relaxed experience. https://www.tanakafarms.com/pumpkin-patch-2020

I received several emails last week from you lovely CSA members asking what you can do with the Sugar cane that was included in both the Small and Large boxes. So I thought I'd let you all know just a few simple things to use it for. Most folks peel it and chew on it as a snack. I like to be a tad more creative... I will chop it up into chunks and throw it in my iced tea, or I cut long strips and use it as skewers on the grill, so the sugar caramelizes and adds extra flavor to whatever you are grilling. They also make great swizzle sticks in cocktails or mocktails. Just make sure to shave off the outside fibrous bark as it's not as edible as the rest of the cutting. If you're a big fan of sugar cane and would like to grow it yourself you can also plant your cutting horizontally about 3" below the top of the soil. If you pay attention to each of the knuckles you might already see new sprouts trying to produce. Once planted keep it hydrated and soon you'll start to see your own sugar cane growing in your yard. Do you have any creative uses for sugar cane that I didn't mention? Please comment below and share the wealth of knowledge with the rest of our Tanaka Farms CSA Family.

*IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT* Due to declining interest, our Drive-Thru Produce Stand will be closing at the end of business day on Sunday, August 22nd. Curbside Pickup for online orders will remain open. Beginning Monday, August 23rd CSA Farm Pickup will relocate to the Walk-Up Produce Stand. Thank you for your continued support in our CSA Program.

Good morning to our CSA Family! I apologize for this update to this week's box coming a day late. We had to evaluate our fields to ensure we provide only the best crop to our amazing members. Mini Bok Choy Arugula Corn Kale Shish*to Peppers Small Bok Choy Corn Small, Red Watermelon Sugar Cane Shish*to Peppers Green Beans -or- Carrots Cantaloupe -or- Peaches -or- Plums -or- Nectarines Large Bok Choy Arugula Microgreens Corn Kale Small, Red Watermelon Sugar Cane Shish*to Peppers Green Beans -or- Carrots Eggplant -or- Squash Cantaloupe -or- Peaches -or- Plums -or- Nectarines We want to get to know our members better! What prizes most interest you for our bi-weekly COMtests (comment/contest)? Would you prefer an additional seasonal produce item? Free tour tickets? Free merchandise? Let us know in the comments if you have any opinions on what you want to see in our social media page!

7/26 - 8/1 CSA Boxes
Greetings to all of our phenomenal CSA Members! This week's boxes are filled with a delectable variety of fruits and vegetables! COMTEST! (Comment-Contest) We want to know who you are sharing all of your delicious Tanaka Farms produce with. Please share with us who joins you at your dinner table for a chance to win a sunflower-shaped Pop-It! in a sunflower-decorated mini tote bag. *Limit 1 entry per person. Winner will be chosen on Monday, August 9th, 2021 at 4pm PST and notified in the comments. Winner will need to pick up their Pop-It! & tote bag from our farm within 7 days. MINI BOX Green Beans Corn Kale Maui Onion Tomatoes SMALL BOX Bok Choy Eggplant Radishes Green-Yellow Squash Green Beans -or- Carrots Cantaloupe -or- Peaches Cucumbers -or- Romaine Corn -or- Maui Onion -or- Tomatoes -or- Small, Red Watermelon LARGE BOX Bok Choy Corn Kale Maui Onion Tomatoes Green/Yellow Squash Red, Small Watermelon Green Beans -or- Carrots Cantaloupe -or- Peaches Cucumbers -or- Romaine Eggplant -or- Radishes

Hello pretty pollinators! You’re the bees knees 🐝🥰. Without you, our CSA members’ boxes would be pretty empty. Farmers are wise to devote a portion of their acreage to invite birds, bees and other insects. We have a whole hillside dedicated to this purpose. It is gorgeous in the springtime! 🌸🌸🌸🐝🐝🐝🌱🌱🌱