Heirloom vegetables to be auctioned by Sotheby’s

Several people have forwarded this article from the Wall Street Journal, Sotheby’s Puts Veggies on the Block.

“You all know of new produce auctions springing up, and you have probably heard of Sotheby’s auction house in New York City. You may not have heard of the meeting of the two, when Sotheby’s auctions vegetables next month,” says Chris Wien, who recognizes this as a sign that there are new and perhaps unimagined markets for unique, high-quality vegetables grown in high tunnels.

Sotheby’s Auction House, that purveyor of all things rare and fine, will soon dabble in something a little more pedestrian: vegetables.

But these aren’t your average garden greens. On the auction block are mixed crates filled with veggies such as Turkish Orange Eggplant, Lady Godiva Squash and Pink Banana Pumpkin. Rare, indeed. The asking price: $1,000 a crate.

The auction is part of a Sotheby’s benefit featuring heirloom vegetables—vintage varieties that aren’t commonly grown by the mass-produced agriculture of today. The Sept. 23 benefit, titled “The Art of Farming,” is the first of its kind by Sotheby’s and is being held in the auction house’s Manhattan showroom,

Read the whole article. Don’t miss the slideshow that features high tunnels at the McEnroe Farm in Millerton, N.Y.

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