Ardenwood is a Victorian era working farm with a blacksmith shop, farmyard, Victorian garden and house, train rides and more. 

Train Rides
Train rides are available Thursday, Friday and Sunday. Check the daily schedule and meet the train at Arden Station or Deer Park. The ride is short, but it takes you back more than 100 years to a time when railroads connected the East Bay’s farms to towns and cities. The train is operated by Ardenwood’s Railroad Museum with staff and docents dressed in period costumes.

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Farm Animals 
There are many domestic animals in the farm: sheep, pigs, chickens, and more. Join the farm tour, as it is a great opportunity to learn about the animals, what they provide and what make them special. 
Animal feeding tour - Thursday to Sunday, 3pm, meet at the chicken coop.

Cows - The cows are located at the entrance to the farm, learn about milk and how to milk a cow next to the rabbits, where you can try and milk a wooden cow!
Goats - Did you know the goat's pupil are rectangular? Or that they provide milk, hair and meat? 
Pigs - There are 2 big pigs in the farm. Did you know that they are actually very clean and organized? Visit their pens to see how it's divided into separate living, eating, plying and bathrooms area. Yes, they like mud, but they use it to keep them sunburn-free since they don't sweat.
Chickens and turkeys - Lots of different chickens and turkeys can be found throughout the farmyard. During the tour you will look for eggs, feed and hold the chickens, which is pretty fun. On the farm, chickens are source of meat, eggs, manure and feathers. We found beautiful feathers we enjoyed exploring.
Sheep - Sheep are source for milk, meat, and wool. Check out the farm's schedule during the spring (usually mid-April) for Sheep Shearing Day and join the shearing, transforming fiber to yarn at the spinning wheel and more.
Peacocks - Like the chickens, peacocks roam freely in the farm. They are beautiful, and if you don't scare them, you'll get a chance to see them spread their feathers.
All the farm animals are friendly, which make it great for little kids to walk up and meet them. 

At the end of the tour, we received Indian Corn to use for popcorn at home, another fun experience and learning opportunity.  

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Arts and Crafts 
There are always some small craft projects. Today we did leaf printing, but it really varies. Check the daily schedule to check the daily projects.  

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Victorian Garden
The garden area looks much like it did near the turn of the 20th century. It is nice to walk in the garden's paths and taste the strawberry tree fruit (tastes like oatmeal!), smell the flowers and picnic in the grass field.


Patterson House
The farmhouse was build in 1857 and it was home to three generations of the Patterson family. Take the house tour to learn about how Clara Patterson made the house a place of culture, education and restfulness. 
Visit the milk house, cook's house, kitchen garden and pool site. It is very fun to wonder around. 

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Ardenwood is open Tuesday through Sunday, 10am-4pm. Admission fees: $3 a visitor (kids 3 and under - free), including all activities (tours, train rides, craft projects and more). 
http://www.ebparks.org/parks/ardenwood

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2016

Ardenwood Historic Farm January 2016

Ardenwood Historic Farm January 2016

Ardenwood Historic Farm August 2015

Santa Clara County Fair

This was our second year visiting the Santa Clara County Fair. It's not the biggest fair in the area, but it is definitely much fun! There is a huge variety of entertainment so everyone can find something to enjoy.

Food

No outside food or drinks were allowed this year. Food is always expensive at fairs so be prepared. Even the bottled water were pricey.

Lots of fair food available. Fried alligator, frog legs, deep fried burritos and chocolate covered bacon are some of the interesting things to find. Also, all the regular chicken skewers, garlic fries and such. For dessert you can have fried twinkies and snickers, ice cream, psycho donuts and delicious funnel cakes.

Giant Bubbles

Rides

In the past two years, there were two Ferris wheels, an open two seater and an enclosed 4 seater. I’m not sure about 2015, but in 2016 there was a cool zip line ride. Lots of small and big carnival rides for the kids.

Animals

Small Animals Exhibit - Lots of goats, bunnies, chickens, cats, and more, you can pet and feed. The 4H volunteers were really nice and informative.

Large Animals Exhibit – Sheep, pigs, and cows. This barn has less air, so it wasn’t fun to stay in, but we did walk through quickly. Wish we could enjoy it as much as we enjoyed the small animals exhibit.

The Reptile Exhibit – Lots of volunteers eager to show off their reptiles. We held snakes, saw giant tortoise and more.

Sea Lion encounter – This is unique for a fair to have, and while the show was fun and educational, it didn’t seem like the best setting for the sea lions. Also offered, family pictures with the sea lion, which I found a little too much for the sweet animals.

Small Animal Exhibit

Attractions and Entertainment

Little Hands on the Farm – probably our favorite exhibit. Hands-on interactive and educational fun while learning about life on the farm. From planting seeds and growing fruit and vegetable, to producing milk. At the end, you can sell your produce at the Farmer Market and use the dollar you got for a small candy or toy at the general store, and drive your tractor back to the farm.

Giant Dinosaur walking around and roaring was great too!

Captain Jack Spareribs doing pirate acts, juggling and magic was enjoyable this year and last year as well.

Arts and crafts area was pretty big with lots of quilting, jewelry, pottery, photography and more.

There are also wine tasting, karaoke and more adult geared attractions we didn’t try. Lots of musical shows we didn’t get to see either.

Little Hands on the Farm

Overall it was a great experience, we enjoyed spending 3 hours there, and we loved how tired Daniel was when we got home :)

We will definitely visit again next year!

2015/2016 Pricing Info

Tickets: General admission - $8. Senior/youth - $5. Children 4 and under - FREE. In the last few years Groupon offers a deal of $8 for 2 adults. Watch out for the deal about two weeks before the fair.

Parking: $5.

Rides: $1 each, with discount if you buy more. Zip lining was $10 for 2 rides.

Weekly Picks - August 22-27, 2016

Check out our weekly picks for August 22-27. Lots of music, festivals, nature, creativity and family fun awaits! 

Our weekly picks are published on Sunday, just in time for you to get ready for the week. Want to get all this info via email every Sunday evening? Sign up for our newsletter here.

Want more options or plan ahead? check out our calendar for more activities, as we update it daily! http://relomomblog.blogspot.com/p/calendar.html

Monday, August 22, 2016:

• Enjoy Momdays (dads too) at Bay Meadows (San Mateo).
• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. 
• Attend an art class in Los Altos: Crafty Mondays.

 Tuesday, August 23, 2016: 

• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details.

Wednesday, August 24, 2016:

• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. 
• Summer Music Series in Sunnyvale 
• Dance Class in Los Altos 
• Attend Animal Show at Happy Hollow. 
• Perfect Paper Airplane Show in San Carlos - Everyone loves paper airplanes. We turn into test pilots just by folding sheets of paper. We make them to see how fast they will go or how far they will fly, we even try to do aerobatics with them. One of the top paper airplane makers in the country will join for an expert demonstration of the wonder, delight and aeronautic capabilities of hand made paper gliders. John Collins is world distance paper airplane record holder and a master paper airplane builder. John has written a number of books on building paper airplanes that will be available at the event and John will make sure he personalizes it just for you. Event included with museum admission.

Thursday, August 25, 2016: 

• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. 
• Attend Animal Show at Happy Hollow.
• National Park Service’s 100th Birthday at Presidio Twilight - Bring the family out to sing "Happy Birthday" to a friend that is celebrating a special birthday – the National Park Service!  "America's Best Idea" is turning 100 on August 25, and the Presidio – part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area – is hosting a special bash at Presidio Twilight to mark the moment. This is a free event. 
• Clifford Meet & Greet in San Mateo - What’s BIG, RED, LOVEABLE and visiting Hillsdale Shopping Center to meet and greet kids? It’s Clifford, from KQED’s children’s television programming “Clifford the Big Red Dog” and “Clifford’s Puppy Days”. The legendary, larger-than-life canine character will be on hand to take photos with kids of all ages. Cozy up for a big hug and take home cool giveaways. Photos end promptly at 5:30pm. Clifford will take water breaks throughout his appearance. Official Kid’s Club event. Event is free. Event sponsored by KQED, LEGO and Picture People. 

Friday, August 26, 2016:

• Music lovers will enjoy the Magical Bridge Summer Concert Series in Palo Alto.
• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. 
• Attend Animal Show at Happy Hollow.
• Princess Meet & Greet in Los Gatos - Come and meet the Princesses, get a makeover, take some pictures! Meet & Greet with makeover $28 per child includes hair, nail painting, tiara and pictures with the Princesses! Meet n Greet only $15 per child.
   

Saturday, August 27, 2016:

• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. Today is Bike Day on The Green, and tonight there will be a movie night with STAR WARS: The Force Awakens.
• Attend Animal Show at Happy Hollow.
• The Goodnight, Construction Site! Musical is showing this month in San Francisco. This is a musical not to miss, and fun for all ages. 
• Take the kids to the Facebook's County Fair in Menlo Park. Festival rides, carnival games, fair-inspired foods, farm animals, live bands, dancing and much more family fun happening at our County Fair inspired Farmers Market. All proceeds from rides & games to benefit local non-profits.
• Puppet Theater 60th Birthday at the Children's Fairyland in Oakland - The Storybook Puppet Theater, the longest-running puppet theater in the U.S., turns 60 this year, and you're invited to the celebration!  Come to the Children's Fairyland on August 27 and 28 for a full weekend of puppet shows by guest puppeteers, plus special displays and family activities. All activities are included in our regular admission fee ($10 for ages 1 to 100). Check the full schedule here.
• Day of Drones at the Hiller Aviation Museum in San Carlos - During Day of Drones many different remotely piloted aircraft will be on display, and private multi-rotor drone operators will fly demonstrations throughout the event. Presenters will speak on UAS operations, and hobby-level drones will be available in the Museum’s Gift Shop for purchase.
  
• Palo Alto Festival of the Arts.
• Shakespeare in the Park in Redwood City - Celebrating its 33rd year, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival brings its performance of “The Winters Tale” to Downtown Redwood City for 3 weekends in August! Shakespeare in the Park will offer 3 evening shows on Saturdays and 3 late afternoon shows on Sundays, while providing an opportunity to see high quality, professional theater in the relaxing outdoor setting of Sequoia Campus, free of charge. Treat yourself to some Shakespeare this August, for a moment that is sure to please. 
• Little Free Library grand opening in Sunnyvale - Check out the books, bring one to swap, and enjoy kid crafts, snacks, and lemonade – Pokémon lures too!
• Where the Wild Things Are Rumpus Party in San Jose - Put on your party clothes and get ready to move, groove, read, and play with your favorite storybook characters. 

Sunday, August 28, 2016:

• The exciting Pop Up Park in Los Altos will be open most of August with live music, movies, and entertainment. Check out the online event calendar for all the details. Don't miss today's Ice Cream Party. 
• Attend Animal Show at Happy Hollow. 
• The Goodnight, Construction Site! Musical is showing this month in San Francisco. This is a musical not to miss, and fun for all ages. 
• Puppet Theater 60th Birthday at the Children's Fairyland in Oakland - The Storybook Puppet Theater, the longest-running puppet theater in the U.S., turns 60 this year, and you're invited to the celebration!  Come to the Children's Fairyland on August 27 and 28 for a full weekend of puppet shows by guest puppeteers, plus special displays and family activities. All activities are included in our regular admission fee ($10 for ages 1 to 100). Check the full schedule here.
• Palo Alto Festival of the Arts.
• Shakespeare in the Park in Redwood City - Celebrating its 33rd year, San Francisco Shakespeare Festival brings its performance of “The Winters Tale” to Downtown Redwood City for 3 weekends in August! Shakespeare in the Park will offer 3 evening shows on Saturdays and 3 late afternoon shows on Sundays, while providing an opportunity to see high quality, professional theater in the relaxing outdoor setting of Sequoia Campus, free of charge. Treat yourself to some Shakespeare this August, for a moment that is sure to please. 
• Noise Lab workshops encourage creativity through improvisation for children ages 0-5. Students will listen, sing, dance, and play instruments with improvisation at the center of class. Parents will learn how to engage with meaningful music making in class and at home! Classes are led by professional musicians and music educators and multiple instruments are played in class. Don't miss out on this free workshop in Palo Alto. 
• Los Gatos Music in the Park is an annual (free!) Summer Concert Series on the Civic Center lawn in Los Gatos.
• Marine Science Sunday in Sausalito - A FREE engaging ocean-inspired classroom series from the Marine Center education experts. These interactive classroom programs are great for all ages! This events is on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month.

Apple Recipes - Making the Most of Apple Picking Family Adventures

Apple picking season is almost here! Starting around Labor Day weekend and continuing through October, orchards around the bay area offer families the chance to pick their own apples.

Experience the most fun part of growing fruits, combined with fresh air, sunshine and a little sweat - it's a whole lot of fun for the kids and the entire family! Don't forget your camera! Here you will find a list of local orchards.

You had a great day at the apple orchard, picking organic apples, and now you have too much apples at home? Here are a few apple recipes for kids and families to try. Whether you’ll let your children help out, or you’ll only let them lick the spoon, these recipes will be a great success!

Baked Apples

This is my favorite holiday recipe. My grandma used to make it, and she always said we can help, but we can only eat after dinner. Every year we believed her, and every year she would make a small batch for us to eat when we couldn’t resist the smell.

Ingredients:

6 big Granny Smith apples

Juice from ½ lemon

6oz Walnuts

6 teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Core the apples and brush cut sides with lemon juice.

Chop the walnut coarsely, and fill each apple. Sprinkle with cinnamon and 1 tsp of sugar.

Place in a cake pan with about 1” of water in it, and bake about 40 min., until the apples are soft. Every 15 minutes, scoop some of the water on to the apples.

Take the apples out, and keep the sauce.

Serve with vanilla ice cream, and drizzle the sauce on the ice cream and apple.

Baked Apples

Inside Out Caramel Apples

Ingredients:

2-3 Granny Smith apples

1 cup caramel candies

1 tablespoons water

Juice from ½ lemon

Optional: Toppings like walnuts, chocolate chips, sprinkles, or anything else your children like

Directions:

Slice apples in half and brush cut sides with lemon juice. Scoop out the inside of the apples using a melon baller, or any small scooping tool. Make sure to leave a thick enough edge all way around.

In a microwave-safe bowl, place unwrap caramel candies and water. Microwave on high for 1 minute, stir, and repeat until caramel candies are completely melted.

Scoop the melted caramel into each apple, be careful as it is very hot! Top with your favorite fixings.

Let sit for about an hour, cut each half apple into thirds, and keep refrigerated.

Apple Chips

Ingredients:

2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 ½ teaspoons sugar

½ teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.

Arrange apples slices on a metal baking sheet.

Mix sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg together, and sprinkle over the apple slices.

Bake 45-60 minutes, until apples are dried and edges curl up. Let sit for 20-30 minutes.

Mini Puff Pastry Apple Pies

Ingredients:

1 package of puff pastry – thawed according to directions on package.

3 red apples

1/3 cup brown sugar

2 teaspoons flour

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon nutmeg

1 egg

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core and chop apples up coarsely; Mix with sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Flour surface lightly and cut the pastry into 4x4 squares (or use big cookie cutters like we did). Place mixture on each square, brush the edge with beaten egg, and cover with another piece of pastry. Press down the borders with your fingers or the edge of a fork, and brush with beaten egg. Make a small X shaped incision, and place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.

Bake 20 minutes until golden.

Tarte Tatin

French upside-down pastry in which the apples are caramelized in butter and sugar. You can’t go wrong with this recipe!

It requires preparations and planning ahead, but it is my husband’s favorite, so it got into the list!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

1 1/3 cups flour

1 stick cold butter

2 tablespoons ice cold water

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon lemon juice

For the filling:

3 lbs. Granny Smith apples

Juice from ½ lemon

1 stick butter

¾ cup sugar

Directions:

In a food processor, mix all the dough ingredients until combined. Make a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and chill for 3-4 hours.

Take the dough out and roll on a lightly floured surface to about 13” circle. Cover with plastic wrap and return to the fridge.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel, core and cut apples into quarters. Sprinkle with lemon juice.

In an iron cast melt sugar and butter. Once melted, arrange the apples in two layers and cook fir 5 minutes.

Cover with the chilled dough, and bake for about 25 minutes, until golden. Chill for 15-20 minutes. Place a serving plate over the top of the pan and carefully invert to release tarte from the pan. Scrape any remaining apples stuck to the pan back on top of crust.

Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.