Sneak Peeks: 2012 Art Packs

We've got an eclectic new collection of heirloom varieties and contemporary art!

Over 130 artists applied to be Pack Artists this year. There were so many amazing submissions that it took me a long time to choose. I was supposed to choose just 16 but I couldn't help myself. I ended up commissioning 23 new works of art for our seed packs!

The new printed packs came in on Friday and our new packers just started packing seeds in them today. Our goal is to have our annual Holiday Gift Catalog online for ordering starting November 1st. While you wait, I'll be sharing some sneak pack peeks of details from the new artwork.

Some of you have already seen five of the new works at the special preview we held at the Art of Farming benefit at Sotheby's last week. We'll be mounting exhibits of the new work all over the Hudson Valley and NYC starting in November.

Here's the first peek!

Cindy Hoose's pack. Cindy Hoose sets free her multi-media cast of characters into their quirky landscapes by giving her 10 year old self castaway children's books, fabric scraps, pots of paint and her trusty vintage sewing machine. The original work for this pack is a painting/collage wonderland celebrating the delicious quirkiness of a certain cucurbit. Keep an eye out for 22 more sneak peeks which we'll post on our Facebook page! For those of you not on FB, we'll post the sneak peeks here so please subscribe to our RSS feed or check back regularly. Thanks!

Here's the story that comes inside the pack (minus the name) can you guess which heirloom cucurbit this art is for?

Deliciously Edible Oddities

Some heirlooms came about as novelties. Perhaps created from an accidental cross, or a freak mutation, or picked up by adventurous traveling seed savers, some of the most unusual heirlooms were saved because of their freak factor. This (guess) looks like a (guess) but tastes like a (guess). Though common in India, it is rarely seen in Western markets—unless you grow it yourself. Invite a little oddity into your garden and enjoy the tasty and bountiful results.