Heirloom Expo

In September, the older girls and I (and baby) went to the National Heirloom Expo in Santa Rosa – about an hour north of San Francisco.  I had it penciled onto my calendar for awhile, but because it was in the middle of the week and so far away...I had to think about it.  I made the final decision that morning.
 
We were so glad we went!  We had a nice time of (uninterrupted!) girl conversation on the way.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, as was the scenery.
 
The Expo is centered around the pure food movement, heirloom vegetables, and anti-GMO activism.  While my garden is pitiful, I love gardening and have a great desire to be able to provide food for my family this way.

Chickens and lambs hanging out together.

Girls with Shoshanna Pearl Easling

One of the highlights for us was hearing and meeting Shoshanna Easling from the Bulk Herb Store.

They have a very informative and helpful website. (I highly recommend their Mama's Milk Tea!  I have been drinking it religiously since the day I gave birth to Keoni. At 7.5 months he is still exclusively breastfed and that big boy is doing great!)

Shoshanna demonstrated how easy it is to incorporate herbs into your everyday life and everyday eating.  From salad dressings to medicinal salves to baby food...it was really fabulous.  If only we were guaranteed the herbs would give us the energy level that Shoshanna has!  

She was very personable, and so kind to the girls.  When Kainoa asked her what top things she would recommend to have on hand, some things she mentioned were peppermint (tummy aches), bentonite clay, plantain (bug bites/stings).  The girls and I were very inspired to start a serious herb garden.  Check out their website at the Bulk Herb Store.

There were some fabulously creative uses of recycled materials

Last minute Garden attempt

We are so behind in getting the garden going this year!  I think because of having a baby in March, I took the pressure off of myself and was okay with not doing a garden this year.  Then, I got the bee in my bonnet, and had to make something happen.

Our poor garden was truly abandoned after last season.  We did no post season care.  We had a big mess to clean up, but it was so good to get everybody out there ‘working hard!’

It took a few days to clean it up, and even longer to get everything planted. 

Nursing baby in the shade (hiding to the right)

Situating Keoni in the middle of it all

Finally got boxes cleared out

The princess on her banana break

Fruit (Veggies?) of our labor

We didn't plant this beautiful apple tree.
This is a well established tree that just needed a little TLC.

This was our first year to do a vegetable garden.  It has been a lot of work, but so enjoyable.  The kids have all helped, and are thrilled to see everything growing.  

Kawika (2) usually wanders down to the garden by himself, just after getting up from his nap, to find me.  And each day we spend time.....him pointing to each plant and saying, ‘What is it, Mom?’  And we go through them all...again...it is a blessing!  

Miss Kili (4) likes to give her own tours of the garden...Kapena (5) is constantly on the hunt for lizards....Koa (8) helps me with watering and heavy lifting.....

Kainoa (10) and Kaleo (16) are my biggest helpers.  We laugh that these plants are like our babies!  I don’t have a green thumb, but I am determined to learn how to grow some healthy organic fruits and veggies for my family.  It has been a great learning experience for us all.

We are thrilled to start to see some of the fruit (veggies!) of our labor....

Romaine lettuce.  The white powder you'll see sprinkled on a few
of these plants is DE (Diatomaceous Earth).
DE is all around amazing.
Here I used it to fight unwanted bugs. 

Mixed lettuces we have been enjoying in our salads

Pickling cucumbers

We've got green, red, orange, and golden peppers going.

Thrilled to see these babies appear!  We have 15 different kinds of
tomato plants growing.  Most were beautiful starts
from Bill Bowman. Thank you!

We are going to be up to our ears in zucchini!
People are curious to hear that I am training them up.
It's a space issue.

These sugar peas are starting to fatten up...and they are getting 
eatin' up by the kiddos!

The temptation to pull these carrots
has been making the kids crazy for awhile now.

Cucumbers - also being trained up.

Kainoa comes down to the garden most early mornings -
often she'll do her devotions here.

Sugar daddy peas -
yummmmmmmmmm!

Attempting to contain the strong, huge,
pokey leaves of the zucchinis.

Tomato central