These past three days nearby Santa Rosa hosted the 2nd annual
National Heirloom Exposition, a celebration and extensive display of little known fruits, vegetables, plants, and to a lesser degree animal breeds pointed at sustainable farmers, organic gardeners, and interested eaters.
Speakers and films present programs on everything from trapping gophers to tree fruit and berry pests.
Promoted as "the world's fair" of the heirloom industry, the exposition is sponsored by interested vendors like Baker Creek Seeds, Mother Earth News and the California Rare Fruit Growers.
For us it was a couple hours wander through endless tables filled with fruits and vegetables I had -- for the most part -- read about but never seen in person. I've been hunting for both a Caville Blanc tree, a highly lauded French cooking apple and an Orcas pear (below), a large fruit variety discovered on our favorite vacation island.
Our eggplants never really came through this year. I was only a little jealous at this beautiful display.
The holy grail of pears -- I'm still looking.
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