The National Heirloom Exposition

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This post, while food-related, is not a recipe-related one.  Instead it is a celebration of pure, local, organic, anti-GMO, sustainable food.  In other words, it is a birthday dream come true.

On the occasion of one's birthday around our household, one gets to choose one's way to fete--as mentioned previously ad naseum, we went to Greens for dinner; but the husband had another trick up his proverbial sleeve: I also got a trip to Sonoma County, where we attended The National Heirloom Exposition last month.

So many vegetables! So many fruits! With over a thousand varietals on display, one could not possibly have a gander at so much food, so we picked our way through the exhibition hall, oohing and ahhing over the many pretty and pretty weird edibles.  Ray L. Duey, watermelon carver extraordinaire and master chef, carved up some melons to our delight.  I won a packet of seeds in a "name that food" competition (correctly identifying chayote and tamarind, mind you (I was feeling a little full of myself after that, a perch from which the husband had to talk me down)).  I got to pet some sheep.  (That alone made the trip worthwhile.)  And we got to hear a favorite band, Parsonsfield.  And that doesn't even cover all of the other vendors, speakers, exhibits. For now, I believe I have completed all of my "I turned 40" birthday celebrations.

I just wanted to share a few of my favorite photos from the event.

























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