Localicious: Birthday On The Farm!

As we welcome spring and roll out our April birthday-themed issue, I couldn’t help but think of outdoor adventures for the Localicious column. While bounce houses are nice, they weren’t exactly the birthday adventure I had in mind. Local farms made the top of my list of adventure locations.  

Below are a few family friendly farms that happily offer tours and unique peeks into growing food and raising animals. Uniting our families with our family farms builds community and a memorable experience that your kids are sure to cherish. All of the farms below started with a big dream. I hope you enjoy learning their stories as much as they enjoyed creating them.

Book Family Farms

Pastured Pork and Poultry, Grass-Fed Beef and Educational Tours

• Location: 153 Heavy Horse Ln, Durham, CA
• Best way to contact the farm: bookfamilyfarm@gmail.com
• Best time for a visit: March through early November
• Details: Tours are $5 per child and last 1-2 hours depending on the ages of the children
• Favorite farm features: Animals (cows, pigs, chickens, geese, ducks, turkeys and horses), feeding the animals, gathering eggs, picking pumpkins in October, making butter, learning the history of the family farm, learning about rotational grazing, and horsemanship.
• Erin’s farm brag: Book Family Farms is truly a family farm and definitely a family friendly farm. The farm started back in 1985 with the idea to create a safe pumpkin patch. That idea grew and grew until more animals and activities were added and more family members became involved. The farm has now evolved into a multi-operational system that honors practices like rotational grazing and has maintained its family friendly atmosphere inviting guests to visit and partake in farm life nearly year-round.

Duivenvoorden Farms

Raw Milk Dairy

• Location: 19490 Draper Rd, Cottonwood, CA
• Best way to contact the farm: Duivenvoordenfarms@gmail.com
• Best time for a visit: Mornings October through March.
• Details: Tours are $2 per person and last about 2 hours. They are offered in the morning so visitors can watch the milking of the cows.
• Favorite farm features: the new milk plant, the fodder room, and of course, the cows and calves!
• Erin’s Farm Brag: The Duivenvoorden family has an absolutely beautiful facility that lets you feel as if you are stepping into a farm straight from the movies. Lush green grass dotted with black and white cows and all the behind-the-scenes farming details like the fodder room (a place for growing grass when the cows need extra feed) and milking bays. You can find Duivenvoorden’s raw milk in grocery stores in Redding and Chico and in some coffee shops. Check their website for more details.

Little Sprouts Micro Farm

Organic Sprouts and Microgreens

• Where: 1043 State Street, Redding, CA (enter in back of building shared with Living Hope Compassion Ministries)
• Best way to contact the farm: send a message on Facebook or Instagram, or call Heather (530) 941-2010
• Best time for a visit: Free mini tours available every Saturday 9-1 year-round
• Favorite farm features: Microgreens and edible flowers grown year-round, as well as the always growing “educational urban garden” unlike anything else in the area. You don’t need a yard to grow your own food!
• Erin’s Farm Brag: Heather of Little Sprouts Micro Farm has a unique spin on farming–her greens grow up rather than out, allowing her to grow in an urban location rather than a traditional rural setting. Kids with an interest in farming can draw inspiration to grow their own food even when an outdoor garden isn’t an option. You can find Little Sprouts Micro Greens scattered in salads and wraps in Redding restaurants and in local grocery stores.

Red Gate Ranch

Pastured Pork, Goats, Lambs and Herbs & Veggies

• Where: 19020 HWY 36W, Red Bluff, CA
• Best way to contact the farm: call Kraig and Heather Austin at (530) 727-8717 [5] or email redgateranchrb@gmail.com
• Best time for a visit: October through April
• Favorite farm features: Pasture raised sheep and heritage hogs, the livestock guardian dog Misha, working windmill, and a permaculture market garden which will soon house abundant perennial hedgerows for attracting beneficial insects, birds, and other wildlife.
• Erin’s Farm Brag: Heather, Audrey and Kraig came a long way to realize their dream of raising heritage hogs and pastured sheep in Red Bluff. Not only have they fulfilled that dream but they have added to it with a large herb and vegetable garden. Their ranch is marked by a beautiful barn that can be seen by the road and their family farm is becoming a landmark in the community. Their meats and produce can be found at farmers markets in Red Bluff, Chico and Redding year-round. 

Localicious is a monthly column celebrating food in the North State. If you would like to suggest a food-related business or organization, email us at localicious@northstateparent.com.