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.