Garden Art: Hudson Valley Seed Library and Beekman 1802

The first time I came across the Hudson Valley Seed Library was this year at the Northwest Flower and Garden Show. I was taken with their idea of blending art with gardening. They commission artists to create images as diverse as the heirloom seeds they sell and turn the seed packets into paper collectibles in their own right. As a matter of fact, I have their Breadseed Poppy Mix hanging on my memo board right now! 

My friends, Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge (aka Beekman Boys), have an ever expanding effect on the home, garden and how we see country life in general. This year they have partnered with the Hudson Valley Seed Library to create a limited edition series of non-GMO heirloom seeds from their own vegetable garden at their farm and sold through their store, Beekman 1802. 

The artwork on each Beekman seed packet features a goat, naturally, as their brand began with a simple goat milk soap. Remember when my photograph of the Beekman mansion was featured on their honey & oats soap? 

Heirloom vegetables are key component of the Beekman 1802 business. Josh and Brent have written an Heirloom Vegetable Cookbook and continue to trumpet the importance of growing and preserving our vegetable heritage.  

Now order some seeds and get out to the garden! It's March and I can't wait.

Beekman Boys at Target: Farm to Shelf

I want to highlight a wonderful new product line called Beekman 1802 Farm Pantry at Target, created by my friends Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Dr. Brent Ridge (aka The Fabulous Beekman Boys). You might know them from their television show, or as winners of The Amazing Race or even from a cookbook signing at the Country Living Magazine Fair. 

I went to college with Josh and I am so very proud of the brand he and Brent are building. You must read their version of this exciting partnership. It not only brings the produce of small farms to the shelves of Target, but actually directs a portion of the profits back to small American farms. 

That is a Win-Win that is truly Fabulous-Fabulous.

It takes a great marketing mind to encourage fans to take a "shelfie" - a photo of themselves with a stocked shelf of Beekman 1802 product at Target. I obliged and posted it on Facebook to help lend my support to their growing brand. 

You can read my blog posts about visiting Josh and Brent at their home and farm in upstate New York and shopping in their Mercantile in Sharon Springs.

Beekman Boys are Married 

Visiting Beekman 1802 Mercantile

Beekman Boys: Goats Galore

I encourage you to seek out the Beekman 1802 Farm Pantry products at Target and give them a try. So far I love the Pot Roast Starter (the kitchen smelled so good), the Rosemary Sprig Salad Dressing as well as the Rosemary Garlic Veggie Seasoning. The Backyard Cherry Pie Filling is next on my list and I know it won't last long.

Beekman 1802 Honey & Oats Scrub Bar and Photo News

Brace yourself. It is my photograph of the Beekman Mansion on the new Beekman 1802 Honey & Oats Scrub Bar packaging! I am as proud as can be. You can see the original image below.

When Dan and I were in upstate New York, we were able to visit my friends, Josh and Brent at their farm in Sharon Springs. Josh and I have been friends since college, where we were English majors at Michigan State University.  I was part of a close knit group of friends (Josh, Tracy, Kerry, Me) and I don't think a day went by that we didn't see each other.  We are all still good friends, but life has us living in separate parts of the country and our visits are more often on the phone, than in person  


Over time, Dan and I have become friends with Josh's husband, Brent too and we make an effort to see each other whenever we go to New York or when they come to Michigan on a book tour.  

It was a glorious day when we toured the farm and with their blessing, I blogged about their growing lifestyle brand, flagship store in Sharon Springs and their win on the Amazing Race.  You can read my original post here.

My photo of the mansion was noticed online and I was contacted about granting rights for the use of my image on their new packaging. I would do anything to help Josh and Brent and in my own small way, I am doing my part. 

The Honey & Oats Scrub Bar is a big, beautiful bar of soap that they describe as "Skin Softening Formula: Gently Exfoliates with Natural Bran & Oatmeal. Notes of apricot & honeyed blossoms, hint of fresh wildflowers." It smells divine and I'm sure it will delight.

You can order the Honey & Oats Goat Milk Scrub Bar online or buy it right off the shelf in the flagship Beekman 1802 Mercantile in Sharon Springs, New York (photo above). If you'd like, you can read all about my first visit to the mercantile here.

As someone that loves and admires beautiful packaging, I love that one of my photos is now a permanent part of Beekman 1802 packaging. As I said, I am very proud.

Beekman Boys Heirloom Dessert Cookbook

If you are new to my blog, "Welcome!" I have been blogging 5 days a week for 6 years about the beauty of everyday life. I write about how visual images, tasty treats and simple storytelling can enhance the human experience. 

The impact of flowers; the joy of friendship; the satisfaction of 

collecting – these ideas are the foundation of my first book, "Moments of Delight" and my blog.  Explore the sidebar to see posts by month and my City Series.

This is to catch you up on my recent Beekman adventures. Remember my visit to Sharon Springs and their Beekman 1802 mercantile? And my tour of the farm? It was a wonderful trip and I am so happy that we had a chance to visit again so soon.

As for this last weekend with The Beekman Boys...I've been recruited!  I will be participating in the "Bake Like A Beekman" blog where we will bake our way through the new Beekman 1802 Heirloom cookbook.  Doesn't that sound wonderful?  I'm a baker at heart and I have the apron collection to prove it.

Dan and I drove to Lansing on Sunday to and support Josh and Brent on their cookbook tour.  I finally have a copy of their long-anticipated desserts cookbook and I got to spend some quality time with my friends. I was so happy that Tracy was able to make it to the book signing from Grand Rapids. If only Kerry could have come up from Tennessee! Next time! The four of us haven't been in the same place in 20 years. 

The Beekman 1802 Heirloom Desserts cookbook is just beautiful - perfect to display on the cookbook stand in your kitchen. I can't wait to make the Roasted Caramel Pears and the Lemon Lavender Squares.  Yum! The bonus of this great day was that I was able to meet some of Josh and Brent's other friends and realize how much we all have in common.  Like baking...

Beekman Boys coming to Michigan in October

*Schuler's Books and Music 2820 Towne Center Blvd Lansing, Michigan (517)316-7495

Seated Tickets with purchase for first 100, standing room available without purchase...

A heads up for all of my Michiganders, the Fabulous Beekman Boys, Brent Ridge and Josh Kilmer-Purcell are on their book tour promoting Beekman 1802 Heirloom Dessert cookbook and will be at Schuler's Books & Music in Lansing, Michigan on Sunday, October 6 at 2pm.  Road Trip!

If you can't make it, stop back and read all about the event here.  But I hope you can come...be sure to find me and say hi!

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Anne Reeves at the Beekman 1802 Farm

Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Anne Reeves at the Beekman 1802 farm.

I finally made it to upstate New York to visit my friends, Josh and Brent at their farm in Sharon Springs.  I have known Josh since college, where we were English majors at Michigan State University.  I was part of a close knit group of friends (Josh, Tracy, Kerry, Me) and I don't think a day went by that I didn't see them.  We are all still good friends, but life has us living in separate parts of the country and our "visits" are more often on the phone, than in person (though I do get to see Tracy next month!).  

Over time, Dan and I have become friends with Josh's husband, Brent too and we try to see each other whenever we go to New York or they come to Michigan on a book tour.  

We started planning this trip back in January and were so happy to be able to combine a visit to see Dan's relatives near Albany with a trip to see Josh and Brent and the world of Beekman 1802 that they've built in Sharon Springs.

This is their beautiful Beekman mansion on a picture perfect July day.  

Now we've come to the portion of this blog post where I get to rave about my friends. Maybe you know of them already, Josh and Brent are The Fabulous Beekman Boys.  I know, can you stand it?  

They are stars of a reality show on the Cooking Channel called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys." It revolves around how two Manhattanites leave the big city to work and live on a beautiful piece of property in a quiet New York town called Sharon Springs. The house (built by William Beekman in 1802), land and its history takes on a life of its own and eventually turns Josh and Brent into "accidental farmers" that create a lifestyle brand around products like goat milk soap, cheese and heirloom vegetables.  You can delve into their fascinating world and shop for all of their wonderful products online at Beekman 1802.

Is a show about a goat farm a little crazy? Yes. Is it a bit like "Green Acres?" You bet. But it is also light, charming, and a really fun blend of modern life with age old farming rules. Tweeting & pigs? Josh. Worried about having a clean farm? Brent. 

The show is full of love and nature and goats. The beautiful cinematography showcasing all four seasons on the farm alone makes it worth watching.  And my friends do indeed show the world what I've known all along...they are fabulous.  

So when Josh wanted to "show us around" the house and farm, we were technically walking around a television set.  Yes, this is the barn that houses all their beloved goats.  I must say, it was surreal (and wonderful) to visit my friends' home, after having seen it on national tv and in the pages of Country Living magazine.  It is a wonderful place to call home and since filming ended a while ago, the house and farm seem peaceful.  How could you not relax with a summer breeze blowing across the open landscape?

Josh and Brent have so many interesting aspects to their life and business and I want you to know them and support them, as I do.  I will share more about my visit to their mercantile soon.  

Beekman Boys win Amazing Race

Our cheers for Team Beekman worked!  I am delighted to report that my friends WON The Amazing Race, which means they have won a million dollars!  

Dear friends of mine, Josh and Brent, were a team on the fall season of The Amazing Race.  The show began on ABC on September 30th and the finale was last night.  You can watch a pre-show video interview with Josh Kilmer-Purcell and Brent Ridge here.

I only use my photographs on my blog, so I've put a picture of Josh and me back in 2006 in NYC.  Josh and I went through the English Literature BA program at Michigan State University and I am so happy that this win means that he can stop commuting (for work) between NYC and their goat farm in the country and live with Brent in Sharon Springs full time.  

Josh and Brent have an exciting life as goat farmers, founders of the brand Beekman 1802 (a lifestyle brand founded in small town America) that features goat milk soap, BLAAK aged goat cheese and a selection of artisanal onion jams, caramel cajeta sauce and rosemary-creamed honey. (*Hint: I'm giving some of their glorious products for Christmas this year and I know the recipients will be thrilled!)  

You can actually watch their life on a TV show called "The Fabulous Beekman Boys."  An entire season is being rebroadcast on The Cooking Channel.  Originally filmed and broadcast on Plant Green, we are all hoping that the show gains a large enough audience to justify filming another season of life on the Beekman farm.  Could a win on The Amazing Race clinch another season? I hope so!

Josh and Brent's lifestyle/reality show is a charming look about the real life issues of working in NYC and trying to establish a new venture in small town America.  The photography is stunning (believe me, you will want to visit), plus the animals on the farm are characters in themselves.    

Josh is an advertising executive and New York Times best selling author and together he and Brent (MBA/Physician) have also written a Heirloom Cookbook, using the recipes they created from their heirloom seed garden.  Their talent is endless and a "game show million" couldn't benefit a nicer couple.


After last night's exciting win, Josh and Brent posted this thank you on their website and I wanted you to see it: 7 Billion "Thank You" Notes. | Beekman1802.com