A tower of squash in Santa Rosa

This may be the definitive photograph taken by everyone with a camera at the 2013 National Heirloom Exposition in Santa Rosa: a gigantic still life of squash and other veggies heaped up center stage. The three-day Expo, having just completed its third annual run at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds, is truly a cornucopia of inspiration for anyone with a garden, large or small –– or anyone who longs for one.

Thousands of attendees strolled through several buildings chockfull of interesting vendors, heirloom seeds, about 3,000 varieties of heirloom produce from across the nation, cooking and tasting demos, poultry and rabbits, and a who’s who of knowledgeable speakers on a wide variety of subjects related to gardening, the politics of corporate farming, fermentation, biodynamic medicinals –– you name it.

One of the more arresting products for sale by a vendor were the old-timey kitchen aprons pictured here. I literally did a double-take when I spotted these, because I can remember aunts and grandmothers wearing a version of this design, sometimes for hours, whether they were in the kitchen or not. Talk about history repeating itself. A new generation of cooks is embracing this simple concept that’s apparently timeless, and available in fun and colorful vintage fabrics. This vendor was Oh Sew Penny (check out the selection at ohsewpenny.com).

Where the food products were being tasted, I became a devotee of the dried wild seaweed harvested off the coast of our neighbor to the north, Mendocino County, by Ocean Harvest Sea Vegetables. Wow, were they good. Buy some at seaweedmermaid.com. You won't regret it. 

The Shed in Healdsburg

The SHED in Healdsburg is intriguing, one of the newer attractions that’s just off the town Plaza. The building was built specifically for this purpose, and it's a beauty. The business is hard to categorize. You can buy fresh locally grown produce, kitchen essentials (and some not-so essential), bottled food products of many types, and order something to eat, too. The Fermentation Bar is named not just for its selection of white and red wines on tap or by the bottle (some beers, too), but quirkier offerings like kombucha (their own concoction and one other) and SHED Shrubs, as they are known –– house-made fruit cordials that are a combination of fruit, vinegar and sugar. Locally produced bottles of mead are also available. A half-hearted sidewalk sale was going on the last time I was there, with a few odds and ends to sort through. Check out the SHED on North Street, just a block from Healdsburg Avenue, the main drag through town.

Why it's cool to live here

You can't beat the location. Taste of Sonoma takes place in a quiet corner of Sonoma County that’s nearly perfect for its beauty and solitude. For 364 days a year the historic MacMurray Ranch along Westside Road is peaceful and serene, then during one Saturday in late summer it’s transformed into the premiere food-and-wine tasting event in the nation, as about 3,000 hungry people meander around the roomy ranch in search of great cuisine and delectable reds and whites.

They come from across the country to savor tastes of wine from approximately 200 of Sonoma County’s best wineries, paired with morsels of tantalizing food from 60-odd chefs and restaurants.

One of my favorite bites was the meatball (pictured) from Rustic, the restaurant at Francis Ford Coppola’s winery. And possibly the best fried chicken I’ve had in years, courtesy of the new mobile restaurant known as Drums & Crumbs. Other gustatory highlights included ice cream by Nimble & Finn’s, Hopmonk Tavern’s stout-braised short ribs over garlic mashed potatoes, and pork tenderloin with red rice and cranberry beans whipped up by Olive & Vine.

Four enormous tents showcase the food and wine, and numerous other tents and cozy spots on the ranch provide entertainment and educational opportunities. This included chefs competitions and cooking demos, with foodie radio hosts and masters of ceremonies Clark Wolf and Marcy Smothers (wife of Tommy), shown here coaxing comments from the judges in a race-against-time cookoff between chefs Thomas Schmidt of John Ash & Co. and Steve Rose of Vineyards Inn, one of my favorite places to eat.

Hollywood royalty Fred MacMurray raised his family here when he wasn't making movies and TV shows in Tinseltown. He also raised cattle and opened his ranch to other big movie stars who came to visit (Clark Gable, for instance). The old house is still there, adding to the warmth of the historic property.

Taste of Sonoma is the largest gathering of the annual Sonoma Wine Country Weekend, which culminates in a wine auction for charity.