Meet Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, from Fruition Seeds.

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Meet Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, from Fruition Seeds.

Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, co-founders of Fruition Seeds.

Through the marvelous thing that is this internet, though email, mutual blogs, and a mutual friend's Kickstarter encouragement, I have very recently been put in touch with this wonderful couple, Matthew Goldfarb and Petra Page-Mann, co-founders of Fruition Seeds. Located in the Finger Lakes region of New York State, they are a certified organic, open-pollinated vegetable, herb, flower, grain and cover crop seed company doing something pretty remarkable in a very scary time for our global seed supply.

As I've said in recent facebook and twitter posts, I can think of no more worthy Kickstarter campaign (with better pledge rewards) that I have come across. And, I am incredibly excited to know about this seed resource and cannot wait to try their beautiful varieties next spring in our gardens.

Below is a great guest post from Petra and Matthew. Though having not yet met them in person, I am so thrilled to have crossed paths with these new friends, couldn't have more respect for what they are doing, and am so happy we all get to be the fortunate beneficiaries of all of their tireless work.

(And there are just FIVE DAYS LEFT in their Kickstarter drive. Get over there and get yourself some seeds!)

Arugula seed, freshly screened.

How does seed saving fit into your understanding of ‘sustainability’?

Matthew: The ideas surrounding and daily practice of ‘sustainability’ have long been a part of our lives in the thirty collective years that Petra and I have been farming. Energy, food, transportation, waste, social life: we have not gone a day without considering and acting on what is best for us, our community and our world.

Yet we were always uncomfortable with ‘sustainability’ because it assumes the world is static, neglecting an appreciation for shift and adaptation.

Petra: Seeds offer the perfect metaphor for what it is that we are truly after: resiliency. Even as climates change, diseases evolve and cultural trends shift, seeds adapt and encode this resilience in the next generation. At Fruition Seeds we select plants for these resilient qualities for our region through only growing open-pollinated varieties that can be saved and shared for generations to come.

Why did you start Fruition Seeds?

Matthew: Buckminster Fuller observed, “you never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” (more…)

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Leek Bacon and Gruyere Tart

This frenchy-french-french tart has the lusciousness of fall written all over it. Spectacular for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, it is also glorious with a crisp green salad. And it freezes really well. So with it almost taking as much work to make one as to make two, do just that and stock yourself with a fast food gift in your freezer for some bleak mid-winter eve.

This can of course be made vegetarian, and equally good, by omitting the bacon, and substituting two tablespoons of butter, for the bacon fat, for sauteing the leeks.

Leek Bacon and Gruyere Tart
by Catie Schwalb

makes one 9" tart.

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Pitchfork Diaries joins Gojee.com!

How did you possibly live before the quite-brilliant food blog recipe site Gojee.com?? It serves as your online library/concierge/personal assistant/curator to help find new recipes from top food blogs, selected just for you and what you are craving, or better yet, what you have on hand at the moment.

Launched a few months ago, today they are adding their second batch of writers and blogs, and I could not be more proud to announce that that includes me and Pitchfork Diaries! It is a tremendous bunch of blogs and bloggers who they work with, many of whom have served as my inspiration and mentors for years, and it is such a thrill to be in their esteemed company.

The genius premise allows you to submit ingredients that you are craving or have in the pantry, and they then pull up recipes from a arsenal of diverse and talented food bloggers that fit your criteria, complete with full-screen mouth watering photos. You can even input ingredients you dislike and never want to see included in your searches, and they are happy to oblige. They also have a function where you can link your D'agostino's loyalty card number, (soon to be expanded to other food markets), and they will formulate a list of recipes based on your recent grocery purchases. Again, how did we live without this?

Thanks so much to the creative, super sharp, and innovative team over at gojee.com for including Pitchfork Diaries and for the great site!

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Catie Baumer Schwalb is a chef, food writer and photographer, who splits her life between the city and the country. Not too long ago Catie was a New York City based actress and playwright for more than a decade. She has her Master of Fine Arts from the National Theater Conservatory, and her Grand Diplôme in classic culinary arts from the French Culinary Institute in New York City. ... Read More ≫

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