Meet the Crew!

Takes a village!

When Matthew and I founded Fruition in 2012, we could not have imagined the profound community that would coalesce around us. These are the friends, our Fruition Family, who bring Fruition to fruition each and every day in endlessly new and deepening ways.

Impossible to capture in a photograph is the unfathomable love & support of our collective family, friends, many mentors & community: The countless ways you’ve all surrounded us with care and encouragement truly bring us to our knees and we’ll delight in forever finding ways to say thank you ~

And all this on the foundation of countless generations of plants and humans, co-adapting & co-evolving together, learning to thrive & share what we find, each a beloved ancestor who survived unthinkable odds & dreamed of a world where future generations might act with greater courage, kindness & generosity…

…and here we are!

‘We’ includes you.

All of us, together.

Thanks for growing with us in all the ways, Friends.

Sylvia Sable

Operations Director

How have gardens grown you, Sylvia?

Trust. Trust. Trust. The first year I had my own garden I knew, logically, that the seeds I planted would sprout, but it took time for me to deeply trust they would. I found myself awestruck when they did what they were wired to do… sprout! Has anyone else had this experience? My garden has taught me to trust the seeds, my instincts, and others more and more each year. My garden also taught me to always grow more than I needed so I could share with the birds, the chipmunks, and my friends and family. If you come to my house in the summer you’re very likely to leave with an arm full of chard, squash, beans, tomatoes and maybe a flower bouquet. Consider this your invitation!

How did you first connect with Fruition?

Petra and I joke that we are pandemic friends, but it’s true! At the start of the pandemic I moved home to Keuka Lake from Brooklyn to be close to my family and ailing father in what felt like a very unpredictable time. Little did I know that a short stint working remotely from my home town would turn into me sticking around! At the time I was working for a large non-profit organization in New York City and when my projects slowed down at the start of the pandemic I had some extra time on my hands. I reached out to Fruition (shout out Dave!) – telling them I was willing to help out in any way – and started working on the farm team on Thursdays and Fridays. I met the sweetest people who inspired me and made me think that I might be able to find community here after all. 

learn more about Sylvia here!

Angus

Farm Lead

Angus, what is your go-to comfort food?

A nice bolognese!

Favorite summer lunch?

A taco or two can be quite pleasant.

How have gardens grown you?

Good things come with time and work.

Sarah Spector

Creative Director

What are your favorite ways of saying ‘thank you’?

I know this is a straight line but…actually saying thank you followed by the reason why I’m thankful. A meaningful thank you is expressed too little in our world.

What are your favorite ways of being thanked?

Hugs (and cookies)

What is your go-to comfort food?

Cookies (and hugs). Really though I love food so it’s hard to pick. Comfort foods…how about chicken noodle soup, pho, soup dumplings, matzo ball soup… Oh! There’s a soup theme apparently.

learn more about Sarah here!

Melissa Knox

Seedhouse & Community Care Lead

How have gardens grown you?

In all the ways imaginable

What is your favorite way to savor tomatoes?

Making sauce every year has become a must in my home.

How is your work at Fruition making it possible/nourishing in you? What is it making possible/nourishing in the world?

Watching others get excited to receive seeds, grow them and feed themselves, their families, friends and community. Knowing that I play a role in making others so happy. It brings so much purpose to my life.

learn more about Melissa here!

Indigo Collier

Packing Lead

What gives you hope in the world, Indigo?

Mornings feel hopeful to me. The quiet and possibility. 

What podcast are you most energized by these days?

My favorite podcast would definitely be Terrible, Thanks for Asking. I wouldn’t say  it is exactly energizing. Though I think a post cry energy definitely exists, at least in my life. 

Is there a quote/poem that is particularly meaningful for you right now?

I am loving Olivia Gatwood’s, When I Say That We Are All Teen Girls. There is a performance on Youtube. 

Jackie Finn

Operations & Product Lead + Farm Support

When did you first garden?

My first memories of gardening are as a young child (maybe four or five years old). My brother and I grew gladiolus in my Mom’s garden and sold them in front of our house for twenty-five cents per stem. Ha!

What are you most excited to grow next season?

Flowers! As a “responsible adult” I have prioritized growing food (in the traditional sense) like vegetables, potatoes, tomatoes, etc. Next year I look forward to shifting my focus back to the beauty and nourishment that many varieties of flowers can offer. 

What do you struggle to grow, Jackie?

Lavender! Lavender and I have a love hate relationship. I love lavender and lavender hates to grow in my yard. 

Chelsey Didas

Seed Inventory & Germination Lead

What gives you hope in this world, Chelsey?

The sun rising and seeing the wonderful things my kids teach me.

How did you first connect with Fruition? 

A little over 5 years ago my mom was sick; I was staying with her with her to help and Fruition brought over a box of carrots to help my mom through her sickness. 

How is your work at Fruition making possible/nourishing in you? 

I love seeing all the varieties I didn’t know existed and all the new things I’m learning!

Maddie Halpert

Retail Lead

Maddie, what are your favorite ways of saying ‘thank you’?

Jars of semi-labeled fermented curiosities; late-night love poems; seeds and seedlings; learning to say ‘thank you’ in all the languages beloved beings speak (nyaweh, adank, twalumba, gracias, merci, twatotela, arigato, hvala…); snail mail; compost, mystery porch bouquets; and a cup of tea.

What one thing do you wish all people knew about seeds?

A lot of people do know this, but simply put seeds are lifemagic, they are our history embodied, living, breathing, sometimes waiting for hundreds of years to be loved back awake, and they can teach us so much about transformation. 

Also, though, real talk: I wish everybody understood the ways that U.S. companies set, promote, and put pressure globally for other countries to accept policies that lead to massively undermining robust and beautiful peasant seed systems for the sake of profit-izing seed. (There’s plenty of people who know this too, I’m just assuming that most people reading this page will be living in the U.S., and here in particular I think there’s a long way to go to take responsibility for our role in those systems… let’s get on it <3.)

How did you first connect with Fruition?

In the summer of 2016 I connected the dots and realized that this awesome seed company that was coming up in some of my learnings about seed systems was the same awesome seed company that aaron, a dear-friend-who-is-family had mentioned his biologically-distant cousin had co-founded. aaron wrote me an email introduction to Matthew and Petra and I came out to visit that July. I brought a homemade fermented blueberry soda to share, toured the farm, helped pack some seed packets, and basically asked Petra whether or not she thought biodiversity on this planet was DOOMED, and other fun questions. 

learn more about Maddie here!

Amanda Rogan

Seedhouse Support

What is your go-to comfort food? Spicy, garlicky pan-fried chickpeas.

Favorite summer lunch? Spicy, garlicky chickpea pitas with garden lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, pickled onions, and honey laced yogurt.

Is there a quote/poem that is particularly meaningful for you right now? Old equestrian saying: Heels down, chin up, go forward

What is the most unusual/unexpected creature you’ve encountered in your garden? There was the loveliest orb weaver that chose to build her web in my garden, and a little milk snake that took up residence under one of the cabbages.

What is your favorite way to savor tomatoes? Sauce or lacto-fermented salsa.

What are you most excited to grow next season? Medicinal herbs

What do you most struggle to grow in your garden? Melons

What is your favorite challenge your garden presents you? Patience.

Heron Breen

Tree Mentor

Is there a ‘moment’ or transformative experience that deepened your relationship with trees, Heron? 

About 20 years ago, I was on a ladder taking cuttings from a huge ancient delicious Red Mulberry in my area….and got that metaphysical golden feeling of “This is what I should be doing with my existence.” Now I just have to learn to listen.

And your favorite addition to apple pie? Cranberries!

How do trees help humxns navigate this moment of our species’ existence?

Plants and Trees are our Elders; all of our sustenance is derived from them knowing how to eat directly from the Sun and natural elements. Trees face life & death without running away. They give unconditionally: no tree ever says “you are not of the right gender/skin color/’correct thinking’, I will not share my fruit with you!!”

learn more about Heron here!

Petra Page-Mann & Matthew Goldfarb

Co-founders | Seed Sowers | Storytellers

When people ask if we have children, we say ‘Yes! And great-great grandchildren…and they grow us more than we grow them!’ As our stories of seeds, ourselves and our world are constantly evolving, we are grateful to be surrounded by such dynamic, adaptive & delightful beings — plant, humxn and beyond — who constant remind and reflect the generosity and magic of life itself.

Pancho & Davi

Nature & Nurture Leads

We are delighted to share our days on the farm with many dogs, including Pancho and Davi (dah-vee). Marvelous mutts scooped up from Craigslist in fall 2015, they are constant reminders to slow down, snuggle and enjoy each other’s company! In the fields and in the seedhouse, we love that our team has two legs, four legs, many legs and no legs! Hope you’ll come see us all on the farm one day, Friends ~

& the whole Fruition crew

ps

Friends, when you come visit the farm one day, you’ll see: We grow seeds. Acres of gorgeous organic seeds, brilliantly co-adapting alongside us…

…and we’re not alone!

Did you know? As ‘distributors,’ most seed companies do not grow their own seeds (Trader Joes doesn’t have a farm behind each store, lol!) and Fruition is honored to share extraordinary organic seeds grown by our friends alongside our own. We sometimes ask for particular varieties to be grown though we usually simply encourage folx to grow and share what they love! We’re eager to share more of their stories, stay tuned for more, and though each year the percentage shifts, in 2022 about 60% of our seed is grown at Fruition with most other seeds being grown by these extraordinary farmers, including Nathaniel of Remembrance Farm in Trumansburg, New York: