Sotheby's Will Auction Off Rare Vegetables

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Aug 20th 2010 at 12:04AM

Sotheby's New York is often the site to buy fine art and collectibles but for one night it can be where you buy your vegetables. The Art of Farming benefit on September 23 will turn Sotheby's Manhattan showroom into a very fancy farmers' market with heirloom vegetables including Turkish Orange Eggplant, Lady Godiva Squash and Pink Banana Pumpkin up for sale for $1,000 a crate. The Wall Street Journal reports that the auction is the first of its kind by Sotheby's and that the McEnroe Farm in Millerton, New York is growing some of the rare veggies. Beekman Farm, the farm seen on the Discovery Channel's "The Fabulous Beekman Boys" is also growing some of the items. Other foodie-friendly auction lots including celebrity chef dinners and produce shares in local farms. The event includes a cocktail reception and a four-course dinner created by celebrity chefs.

Proceeds from the event benefit GrowNYC New Farmers Development Project and the Sylvia Center, a program that teaches children to eat well. At the end of the auction attendees will be asked if the want to donate $1,000 for one of 10 crates of the mixed heirloom vegetables. The contents of the crates then will be donated to two local food pantries. People can buy vegetables for themselves through a silent auction. Tickets to the auction and reception are $250 and gala dinner tickets are $1,000.

The event is part of Eat Drink Local week running in New York between September 26 and October 6.

Tags: art of farming, beekman farm, grownyc