This September the National Heirloom Exposition was held in Santa Rosa, Calif. I wasn’t sure what to expect but since it was 10 minutes from home and it was about gardening I had to check it out!
The exhibits covered all kinds of heirloom vegetables:
The squashes were small to large and conventional to very different! People were friendly and happy to talk about the different varieties. Since I love garlic I was really excited when we got to that display. Am I the only one that had no idea there are so many kinds of garlic?
Fruits were also represented with a huge table of fruit to taste!
And tomato lovers…it’s heaven for you!
The mushroom growers were educating everyone with displays and people to answer questions:
Other displays included some great drought information and oh I loved the raised bed they used!
The event was held in the hall of flowers building with tons of vendors in the main pavillion representing heirloom seed companies, soil people, crafts, and even my favorite flower guy, Jamie from Aztec Dahlias!
As we finished our walk through the veggies there was one final display surrounded by people. When we got closer it was easy to see why the crowd. Check out this unique art by Chef Ray L. Duey!
Pretty amazing right? We even watched as he created a pair of earrings for a woman…by carving a carrot slice. He was amazing!
And, of course, we can’t leave out the giant pumpkin contest…they were huge!
So now that you know what it’s all about you can anticipate next year’s show!
For more information you can check out the National Heirloom Exposition here.
To buy seeds check out our local Bakers Heirloom Seed Bank in Petaluma here.
Donna Jones has always loved to garden. After completing the Master Gardener program, spending some time hosting a garden program on television and writing a garden column, she took time off to be a mom and a school teacher. Now, just beginning the journey as a grandmother, Donna is repairing the garden for little hands again! Raised beds full of flowers and veggies are ready and plans for a few chickens are well under way. To learn more about Donna visit Radish Patch Blog, or you can also check out her professional photography site at Donna Jones Photography.
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