Edible Heirlooms: Green Gardening with the Beekman Boys

By Lauren Sherman
August 3, 2010

It’s not often that you can eat something you bought at auction. But Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell, stars of Planet Green’s hit reality series "The Fabulous Beekman Boys," have teamed up with Sotheby’s to offer just that. On September 23, 2010, the storied auction house will host The Art of Farming, a sale of heirloom seeds from the New York tri-state area. The mission? To raise funds for GrowNYC New Farmer Development Project and The Sylvia Center at Katchkie Farm, two groups that trumpet locally-grown produce and support local farmers.

Can't wait that long? From now until August 12, eBay is auctioning off more heirloom seeds and a chance to meet the Beekman Boys—on the set of their show.

If you aren't already on the farm-to-table bandwagon or haven’t yet heard of these Beekman Boys, here’s the lowdown: Airing Wednesdays at 9pm on Planet Green, their show focuses on the lives of Ridge, a physician and former Martha Stewart VP, and his partner Kilmer-Purcell, a best-selling author/ad exec, as they attempt to build a sustainable lifestyle business at Beekman Farm in upstate New York. In the process, they discover farming is no easy feat; much hilarity ensues.

The Beekman Boys eBay auction offers four different farm packages. Bid on a weekend at the Beekman Farm during filming, a book club experience with Kilmer-Purcell, your own personal backyard farm or heirloom seeds from the Beekman Boys own vegetable and flower gardens.

We recently sat down with Ridge to discuss reality television, organic food, hand-me-downs and how they all kind of work together.

TIS: How is the auction connected to the work you do, as well as the show?

Brent Ridge: It did not take us long after buying Beekman Farm to confront the difficulties that small farmers must face from season to season and this auction, like the show, s an idea that came out of a desire to show what small farming is like in America. We are very excited to have partners like Sotheby's, Great Performances, Andaz and great chairpersons like Martha Stewart, Dan Barber, Eric Ripert, Jean-Georges Vongerichten, Bette Midler and others who are helping us raise awareness for the project.

TIS: What's the most insane/exciting thing about launching this show?

BR: The most exciting thing for us is hearing people's reactions. When we established our company, we were fully committed to helping other members of our community in Sharon Springs, NY, pursue their own dream life, and the attention the show brings to our village has helped everyone.

TIS: Are you guys big eBayers? What kind of stuff do you like to buy?

BR: We do have several ebay "alarms." We look for horticulture, recipe, and history books specific to upstate New York and to the early-1800 time frame in which our farm was originally built. We also look for memorabilia from Sharon Springs which used to be one of the most famous spa destinations in the world. I also love to search for folk art on eBay. My favorite purchase has been a pair of rooster portraits made from corn and beans which we framed in very ornate Victorian-era frames. The juxtaposition is fabulous.