Gardener Alert: Two heirloom festivals in September

The first ever National Heirloom Exposition will be held Sept. 13-15 at the Sonoma County Fairgrounds. This “World’s Fair” of the heirloom industry, sponsored in part by Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Co., will also feature "dozens of seed companies, garden tool companies, and garden accessory craftsmen and their wares from throughout the U.S. as well as plants and plant starts, garden-inspired art and organic, natural and original food items.” 

There will be cooking demonstrations with chefs (including Jeremy Fox, formerly of Ubuntu in Napa), educational seminars, film screenings and 200 or more booths — plus tastings of heirloom vegetables from around the country. Speakers will include Alice Waters, founder of the Edible Schoolyard, and  Vandana Shiva, founder of Navdanya, a movement to protect the diversity and integrity of living resources, especially native seeds.  

Hayground Organic Farm’s Jimmy Williams, a regular at the Santa Monica and Hollywood farmers markets, will be there along with co-author and garden writer Susan Heeger, giving a talk and signing “From Seed to Skillet: A Guide to Growing, Tending, Harvesting, and Cooking Up Fresh, Healthy Food to Share with People You Love” (Chronicle Books, $30).

BloomfestLA goes down downtown on Saturday

 

Named in honor of community activist Joel Bloom, BloomfestLA is this Saturday, July 23. Within the Downtown Arts District's 52-block boundaries, the community event will celebrate all things culturally vibrant with indie music, street art and food. Participating food trucks include Coolhaus, Gourmet Genie, India Jones Chow, LudoTruck, the Surfer Taco and Ahn-Joo Truck in addition to canopy vendors (Divine Dips Vegan Ice Creme and Sno-Con Amor) and resident restaurants Angel City Brewing, K-Town BBQ, Nola's of New Orleans, the Pie Hole, Wurstküche, Zip Fusion Sushi, Novel Cafe and Cafe Metropol. Admission to BloomfestLA is free; the event starts at 2 p.m. Bloomfestla.com.

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--Caitlin Keller

Image credit: www.bloomfestla.com

Everything, and we mean everything, gets fried at the Orange County Fair

The Orange County Fair is a gluttonous playground where if it fits in the deep-fryer it’s probably going in. If you’re on a diet or like to count calories, prepare to be bombarded by oversized, golden-brown, crispy, grease-glistening, fried everything -- yes everything ... even Kool-Aid. 

This year’s theme is, appropriately, Let’s Eat, and in truth the fair really is all about the food, with a concession stand at the ready no matter which way you turn. It seems there is something for everyone in a moderate price range ($2.50-$15), with a variety that included Hawaiian chicken, fried clams, Italian meatball sliders and even sushi.

4 Food Events You Should Know About: Good Food Festival Film Series; Crepe Night at La Cachette; Eat Real Festival; Farmer's Dinner at Patina

Harry's Berries at Patina: On Wednesday, Patina will host an exclusive five-course vegetarian Farmer’s Dinner. The dinner will showcase seasonal produce from Harry's Berries, a 40-acre family-owned farm in Oxnard. Executive chef Tony Esnault will use summer ingredients in dishes to be served at the event,  including a chilled yellow tomato soup, stuffed zucchini blossoms, a seasonal glazed vegetable mosaic, poached duck egg, wild mushrooms and a dessert created with Harry's Berries strawberries. 141 S. Grand Ave., L.A., (213) 972-3331, patinarestaurant.com.

Food on film: On July 13, the Santa Monica Farmer's Market and Slow Food Los Angeles present the next installment of the Good Food Festival Film Series. At Santa Monica's Aero Theatre, two screenings will focus on food waste prevention. Director Jeremy Seifert's "Dive!," an American documentary, looks at the issue at home, where more than 250 million pounds of food goes to waste every day, while French New Wave pioneer Agnès Varda's "The Gleaners & I" focuses on the tradition of gleaning used for centuries in France, following both rural and urban scavengers. For tickets, go to fandango.com. 1328 Montana Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 260-1528, americancinemathequecalendar.com.

Crepes galore: Crepe night at La Cachette Bistro is every Wednesday. Prepared by crepe master Pierre-Lo, the menu changes from week to week but promises a selection of sweet and savory offerings. Get a classic Nutella and banana or go for the ham and cheese. 1733 Ocean Ave., Santa Monica, (310) 434-9509, lacachettebistro.com.

Eat Real: In celebration of good food, the Eat Real Festival takes place July 16 and 17 at Helms Bakery in Culver City. Food skills, hands-on DIY demos and eats from popular food trucks and local restaurants are on the agenda at the two-day festival, which highlights local, sustainable ingredients. Activities include a cookbook swap July 17, a kimchi class with Lauryn Chun, an urban bee keeping demo, beer and wine gardens and a homemade goods competition. Entrance is free and all food at the festival costs $5 or less. 8800 Venice Blvd., L.A., eatrealfest.com.

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-- Caitlin Keller

Photo: Patinarestaurant.com

4 Food Events You Should Know About (summer food fest version): Greek food in Irvine, Munchathon's eat-and-run, food trucks in NoHo, and more

Greek Food Festival: This three-day festival will take place at St. Paul's Greek Orthodox Church in Irvine June 24-26. There will be live music, traditional Greek dancing and lessons, boutiques, and of course, authentic Greek fare.  Expect gyros, spanakopita (spinach and feta pie), and dolmathes (stuffed grape leaves). Festival hours are 5 to 10 p.m. on Friday, noon to 10 p.m. on Saturday and noon to 9 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is $3 per person.  Children under the age of 10 and seniors older than 65 (only on Saturday from 12-5pm) will be admitted for free. 4949 Alton Parkway, Irvine, (949) 733- 3102.

Munchathon: A run and obstacle course involving food? Yes. There will be food and beverage stops along with food-themed challenges. The festivities will take place July 16 at Oak Canyon Park, where vendors such as Meringue Bake Shop and Front Porch Pops will be participating. You can take part in the Munchathon alone or form a team. Registration costs $49 for single runners and $189 for teams. General admission to the festival starts at $12 (prices go up after June 17). Tickets and registration are online at www.munchathon.com. 5305 Santiago Canyon Road, Silverado.

NoHo Food Truck Fest: On June 25, L.A. food trucks and Hope for Paws come together to raise funds for animal rescue. Fifteen food trucks such as Komodo, Baby's Badass Burgers and Ta Bom will be attending. There will be live entertainment, dog adoptions and a raffle. Admission is $4 online and $5 at the event. 11458 Burbank Blvd., North Hollywood, www.nohofoodtruckfest.com.

Frugal Festival Food: The 3rd annual Frugal Festival will be held June 25 at Canoga Park High School.  This festival is dedicated to teaching consumers ways to save on groceries, eating out and home cooking. Participate in the Coupon Challenge or enter the raffle. Ticket prices are $5 to $15 and can be purchased online at Goldstar.com. Receive a $5 discount if you bring a canned good to support the L.A. food bank. 6850 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Los Angeles.

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--Leah Rodrigues

Twitter/ LeahRodrigues24

Photo: Baby's Badass Burgers. Credit: Aria Minucci