The Best Way to Get to Know Your Food

There’s nothing like a farm visit to make you feel more connected to your food and the people who grow it. No matter how old you are or how much you know about agriculture, spending time on a farm can inspire you – and your children – to taste new foods and get a little more creative in the kitchen.

I like to visit local farms at least a few times every year. (It’s especially fun in the summer and early fall when you can pick your own fruit or choose a pumpkin right from the patch). Being out on the land gives me an even greater respect for farmers and farm workers, and reminds me that there’s more to our food system than all those packages in the grocery store.

Think you don’t live near any farms? You might be surprised how close some are to urban centers. We recently visited Tanaka Farms which is right in the middle of Irvine, CA – hardly a rural farming area. We rode a tractor around the farm as part of their Watermelon Tour” and got to sample all sorts of fruits and veggies right in the fields. Lucy ate everything – even things she doesn’t eat at home, like zucchini and green beans. So did the 20 kids from a YMCA camp who were on the tour with us. What a great way to inspire your kiddos to eat veggies!

Here’s a little more about Tanaka Farms, and a guide to help you find a farm near you.