Post by Susan Audrey

Taste hundreds of varieties of traditional vegetables and fruits from all over the nation this fall—heirloom produce you’ve never seen before and bring your own homegrown or farm-raised heirloom favorites to display and share. Whether you’re an attendee or a participant in the first National Heirloom Exposition, you’ll be a part of culinary and agricultural history.

Taste Heirloom Produce

The inaugural National Heirloom Exposition coming up September 13, 14, and 15, 2011, at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds in Northern California is destined to be the biggest and best-attended heirloom industry event ever, and it’s for everyone: the home gardener, small farmer, professional farmer, even school-age gardening enthusiast. The spring growing season has begun throughout most of the country and we invite heirloom enthusiasts of all ages and levels of expertise to start growing their heirloom favorites to exhibit at the Exposition. We hope to have heirloom produce from all 50 states, as many as 5,000 heirloom fruit and vegetable varieties represented as well as heritage livestock and more. (Contact us at info@theheirloomexpo.com for details.)

This “World’s Fair” of the heirloom industry, sponsored in part by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Company, will also feature dozens of seed companies, garden tool companies, and garden accessory craftsmen and their wares from throughout the U.S. as well as plants and plant starts, garden-inspired art and organic, natural and original food items. Top chefs will provide cooking demonstrations using the produce grown for the Exposition and participate in celebrity chef competitions. We expect to feature over 250 booths and are still taking applications from those interested in participating. Just contact us at the above e-mail address.

See thousands of different varieties of heirloom vegetables

Special demonstrations and informational booths will also be provided by our fellow event sponsors, including Seed Savers Exchange, Marin Organic, Amy’s Kitchen, Farm Trails, Green 960 Radio, Daily Acts, Comstock, Ferre & Co. LLC, Sunset Magazine, and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy.

Over 40 local and international speakers will be featured, including world-renown philosopher and environmental activist Dr. Vandana Shiva; non-GMO (genetically modified organisms) activist and noted author Jeffrey Smith of the Institute of Responsible Technology; author and Seed Savers Exchange chair Amy Goldman; and Green 960 Radio host Helge Hellberg—to name a few.

There will also be educational seminars throughout each day, including talks on seed saving and GMO’s as well as many other gardening, farming, and food preparing subjects. Special movie screenings on the history and future of our food will also be presented.

The Exposition will run on weekdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. with the idea of providing a daytime educational opportunity for school-aged children and youth. Special seminars and educational opportunities will be available for school groups, and school gardens are encouraged to grow produce for the event. (See contact e-mail above for more information.) The Heirloom Exposition is a “not-for-profit” event and any funds generated will be donated back to school gardens and food programs. A silent auction and live auctions of garden-related items and art will also benefit school garden programs and other food charities.

Hundreds Of Colorful Displays

There will also be representatives from national media, including the editors of several gardening and farming publications, including Organic Gardening, Ediblemagazine, Grit magazine, The Heirloom Gardener, and event sponsor Sunset Magazine.

And, it’s quite fitting that the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, where the National Heirloom Exposition will be held, is bound by GE-free counties: Mendocino County to its north and Marin County to its south.

Whether you join us as an attendee or participant, or both, mark your calendar now for this gargantuan heirloom event (September 13, 14, and 15, 2011) in Santa Rosa, California.

Visit www.theheirloomexpo.com for more details.

Susan Audrey is a Northern California writer, editor, photographer and artist and can be reached at tosusanaudrey@gmail.com.