Extreme Locavore, or Only in New York (and possibly Berkley)

The Accidental Locavore called a halt to the farmbasket this week, as we’re taking it on the road for a week, and going to Maine. Time for lobsters, crabmeat rolls, and tiny blueberries (which means we need to talk my mom into a raspberry-blueberry pie…recipe on Friday). So I’m trying to clean up not only my refrigerator, but also my e-mail before we leave.

One of the many e-mail newsletters I get is from Grow NYC (they run the greenmarkets in the city). What caught my eye in the August newsletter is an event to be held at the end of September that seems extreme even for a city like New York…are you ready?
Sotheby’s is having an auction of heirloom vegetables. Yes, you read that right. And, no, it doesn’t mean vegetables that have been in the family too long. If you didn’t think Michael Pollan (or me) was crazy to pay $8 for a dozen eggs, here’s your chance to bid up a Purple Cherokee!
From the invitation: “Just in time for the 2010 harvest season, Sotheby’s New York will host the inaugural Tri-State Heirloom Vegetable auction, The Art of Farming, on September 23, 2010. This first-of-its-kind event will celebrate edible heirlooms and the art involved in their creation.” “Jamie Niven, Chairman of Sotheby’s North America, will lead a live auction of Heirloom vegetables from more than 40 local farmers from the tri-state area.” I guess the market for Picassos is so yesterday…

Now before you decide what your limit is for the aforementioned Purple Cherokee, know that buying heirlooms at auction doesn’t come cheap, the cocktail reception and auction will run you $250, with the dinner an extra $1000, or about 156 dozen eggs at $8 a dozen…but it’s all for a great cause.

So Berkley, how do you top this?