EVENT: September 12, 13, and 14, 2023 at Ventura Fairgrounds, Ventura, CA

I just got back from attending all three days of the 10th National Heirloom Exposition. This was the first time the Expo is happening since Covid and a switch from the previous venue in Northern California to Southern California. This was my first time in attendance and I felt that it was serendipitous that they held it in Ventura because I visit and enjoy that area quite often. I attended all three days to get a full feel of the experience and as a reward for the past difficult years. It was something positive to look forward to.

I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the Heirloom Expo and visited their website. The Heirloom Expo is a celebration of heirloom seeds and the diversity of seeds and foods. Most heirloom seed growers tend to be organic growers and utilize some theories of permaculture, a holistic way of gardening. The events included vendors, speakers, exhibits, and an heirloom poultry show, giant pumpkins, and a seed swap. The backdrop to all of this is their famous gigantic squash pile that is filled with many different types of squash in all shapes and sizes and stacked “sky high.”

My schedule revolved around the speakers and their schedule. I carefully read through the list and noted which topics and speakers I was most interested in attending. I would toggle the other events in between speakers or before or after them as well. I attended 10 lectures and walked away from the event with knowledge about seed saving, seed histories, and garden observations. I will write my next blog post, Part 2, exclusively about the speakers and topics from this event.

The exhibits included a room full of pumpkins, watermelons, melons, peppers, and tomatoes.

There were exhibits with a collection of Asian fruits and South American fruits.

There were also beautiful flower bouquets sprinkled throughout the room as table settings and also as display.

There were also displays by local gardeners who set up a table of the things they grew in their garden.

The vendors included a few seed stores including Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds, the sponsor and creator of the expo event, hats and merchandise, plants, compost, magazines, honey, books, garden signs and tools, and other ecologically minded products. The moment I learned of the event, I started to put money aside for purchases so that I can stay within budget. I also had some things in mind I had been looking for though not necessarily to find at the expo: some seeds from Italian tomatoes (a broader selection than what I usually find), California native seeds of annual wildflowers, and something decorative for my garden. I was quite pleased to find all these things there and was able to purchase and carry them home with me.

Just before the expo, I had just read a book about chickens. I have never had a desire to keep chickens and so I never learned much about them. It was good information to have as I visited the heirloom poultry section which had heirloom varieties including Silkies, Bantums, Plymouth Rock, and more. There were several crowing roosters to give you that authentic farm feel and several different types of ducks. The varieties and the shapes and sizes of the poultry was eye opening and I got the chance to peek inside their behavior. The ducks were especially social as they laid in their display cage close to the duck in the other cage.

The seed swap on the first day had an extremely long line. This line decreased throughout the subsequent days. I did not participate in the seed swap as I don’t have the space to experimentally grow seeds. I left that for others who are highly enthusiastic about free seeds.

There were two events not listed on the schedule which I thoroughly enjoyed. The first was the watermelon tasting. This occurred on all three days with different watermelons. Because everything happened so fast, I don’t remember which ones I tasted, but I did enjoy the variety. One was a green-yellow watermelon and tasted like a cross between honeydew and watermelon. It was surprisingly sweet. The volunteer said that all watermelon was grown locally in the area.

The second event was one of the final events of the expo. On the third and final day, there was a sale on all the squash from the tower and items in the display room. Because I enjoyed the watermelon tasting, I wanted to be sure I snagged a few watermelon and some of the smaller squash that I wanted to try. I only selected what I was realistically able to carry and my husband snagged a larger 20 pound watermelon. This event was also very entertaining with people scurrying back and forth grabbing what they could, others being calculating in their choices, and the methods of transport from wheelbarrows to canvas bags to bundling with jackets. All funds raised during the event goes to school gardens.

I didn’t bring any expectations to the event so everything surpassed my expectations. Some people mentioned that the exhibits were smaller from previous expos. The giant pumpkins didn’t make it the event due to some technical difficulties. Through my eyes, everything ran smoothly. All the workers were very nice and so were many of the attendees.

The musicians, singing folk and bluegrass, sang to small crowds and still sang with enthusiasm. It was fun to hear live music while having a bit of rest or eating a meal.

The event costed $15 a day or $30 for a three day ticket paid in advance through the website. Parking costed $10 per day.

I felt that the entire event was well worth the price of admission as the expertise of each of the speakers was worth more than that. There were also opportunities for free items from the Edible Ventura and Ojai magazines (magazine about local food from the area), to the free seeds at the seed swap, to the watermelon tasting, live music, and even some vendors giving out free samples of compost. And the squash sale at the end was an incredible affordable price for organic fruit.

A tenet in the philosophy of permaculture is to give back to your community and to treat others and the earth with respect. I felt this event was a great way to gather people from different parts of the world and country together and be a part of a community that loves plants, food, and seeds.

Next blog post: Part Two of the 10th National Heirloom Expo on the speakers and topics at the event.