Thanks to our greenhouses, color shows on these early bloomers while green things are just beginning to poke up outside, creating a beautiful show this time of year.

From left to right, top to bottom: Snowdrop Anemone, variegated Solomon’s Seal, Lithodora Grace Ward, Lilly of the Valley, Wild Sweet William ‘Blue Moon’ in the top window box next to white Iberis, and lastly, Brunerra behind painted fern.

Peas! With the warm weather we’ve had over the past several days you can practically watch the plants grow. The strength and perseverance of this tender little plants is evident in the second one from the bottom. See those chunks of earth it pushed through?

The next two photos were taken within five minutes of each other, showing the bloom period of two different peach varieties. The earliest peaches are bursting into flower, while the later varieties are still clusters of tight little buds. So far, it looks like we’ll have a good crop of stone fruit. Keep your fingers crossed that Mother Nature is kind for the rest of May!

How about a quilt of lettuce? That’s at least NINE different kinds, seeded in the greenhouse and headed to the field for planting soon. Our plan is to make variety bundles of three different kinds, something we’re putting together especially for our CSA members (but we’ll have it for our market customers too!). I can’t wait to have a nice big bowl of fresh picked salad!

Have you started your own seedlings indoors? What are you growing?

Check in tomorrow for a sample of some of our favorite Spring blooming perennials!

The most exciting addition this year has to be our new software, allowing us to organize packing, orders, and most of all accept online sales! This means convenience for our members, and way less paperwork for us.

To sign up for our CSA online, click here to go to our store.

Thanks to two seasons of wonderful members and great success with the CSA, we’ve increased available shares to 300! Farmer Tim insists we can do more, but we’ve convinced him to take it slow. 

We’re also trying out some new crops: bok choi; radishes; golden beets; collards; celeraic; celery; kohlrabi; spinach; 5 new varieties of lettuce; patty-pan squash; and chinese cabbage. Selected to fill the gaps, these vegetables will add variety to the beginning and end of the season. There are several things in there that I’ve never tried (kohlrabbi and celeraic) so I’m looking forward to trying them out, and learning new recipes.

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We have three different pickup locations to make it more convenient for you to get your hands on our delicious homegrown produce:

Kirby’s Farm Market; Rochester Public Market; and Bindings Bookstore. The greatest difference between these locations is that the market is the only one with a swap table.

Informational Meetings have been scheduled for all of the pickup locations (except Public Market). We hope you can make it to the meeting nearest you, to learn more about our CSA.

UPCOMING INFORMATIONAL MEETINGS

]]> http://kirbysfm.com/?feed=rss2&p=2777 0 http://kirbysfm.com/?p=2612 http://kirbysfm.com/?p=2612#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 18:44:44 +0000 stacey http://kirbysfm.com/?p=2612

2013 CSA Informational Meeting

When: March 28th at 7pm

Where: Kirby’s Farm Market, in the greenhouse. [map]

If you’re interested in learning more about our CSA program, this is the time to get those questions answered! Meet the CSA team, find out what makes our CSA program different, what you can expect in your share, and other important details.

Enjoy some light refreshments, and the wonderfully warm, plant-filled ambiance of the greenhouse in early Spring.

Drought: July has been a very dry month. Counties in the very Northeast corner of New York are officially experiencing a drought, while everywhere from the center of Orleans County to the East is ‘abnormally dry’. Luckily, we’re prepared to irrigate. You have to be in Western New York! A lot of our crops are planted on plastic mulch. Each row has a long line of drip tape running down the center, under the plastic. One of the most efficient irrigation methods available, drip irrigation sends a slow and steady supply of water to each plant. Since roots, drip tape and soil are protected by a covering of plastic, water lost to evaporation and weeds is minimal.

For crops such as sweet corn that are planted in traditional rows without plastic, we have overhead irrigation systems. A large spigot attached to a long thick hose shoots an arc of water with a one hundred and fifty foot range (covers 300 feet). The hose slowly retracts on a reel, watering a large area over a period of hours. Alternatively, a long line of pipe is laid in a field, with smaller spigots every twenty feet or so.  These smaller spigots rotate, shooting streams of water 40 feet long. After one section has enough water, the pipe is moved across the field to the next section. As kids, we would go out barefoot into the fields and sink up to our calves in mud to help our Dad move each section of pipe to the next area. It was pretty fun!

Unfortunately, in conditions like these, you can’t water everything every time it’s needed. Something gets missed and a season will end quicker then usual. This year the blackberries didn’t get enough water and the fruit dried up on the plant a week before the season should have ended.

The effects of drought will also show up in other places. Ears of corn might be smaller, even though they’ve been irrigated. Tomato plants stopped growing until irrigation was set up. Then, as soon as they had some water, they were off again.

“We can’t do what Mother Nature does, we can’t create a perfect rain.” says Tim Kirby. When asked what a perfect rain is, he answers, “Sometimes you get a sprinkle, which just settles the dust. You don’t want a monsoon either, because that washes the soil away.” Huge amounts of rain all at once cause ravines to form as rivers of water run down hills, and soil is washed away from plants. “What we want is a nice steady rain that goes for a few hours, about an inch of water soaking into the soil. That’s a perfect rain.”

Q&A with Farmer Tim

What’s your biggest challenge with a CSA?

Tim Kirby: “Figuring out how much to grow of each crop without being wasteful.”

What have you done differently this year?

TK: “We planted more lettuce, but the deer ate half. We have a second planting that’s ready to pick, but the loss to the deer means there was a gap between plantings. We’re also growing sweet potatoes for the first time. They’re looking good. The plants on the south end of the row are being eaten by woodchucks, but there will still be plenty of sweet potatoes.”

Any other new crops?

TK: It’s the first year we’ve ever grown onions. We have sweet, white, and yellow. We also have Callilou, a new vegetable from Jamaica.

What’s coming up later in the season?

TK: We planted purple and orange cauliflower, beets, and swiss chard for the fall, and we’re seeding broccoli every week in July. Our first broccoli harvest will happen around September 15^st. A series of plantings means a longer season of broccoli in the fall.

If you’ve been in the market lately, you now that July is also cherry season. We’ve had sweet cherries for a while and sour cherries will be arriving soon.

One important Cherry tradition at Kirby’s is the IQF cherry pickup. IQF stands for Individually Quick Frozen, and there’s no sugar added. We have 4lb bags of sour 8lb bags of sweet, and 6lb bags of blueberries available in the market year round. The July pickup is special because you can order them in 20lb or 40lb bags and save money by buying in bulk. IQF fruit is extremely convenient for baking. Since they’re pitted it’s less work, and the individually frozen fruits don’t stick together, so they are easy to pour. They’re great for smoothies, and super refreshing on a hot summer day eaten right out of the bag.

Our pickup days this year are August 5th and 6th between 9am and noon. Orders must be placed by July 31st. Bring a nice, big, cooler when you come to pick them up so they’ll stay frozen on the trip home.

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By far, gift certificates are our most popular Mother’s Day gift. Purchase them in any amount, and they can be used for any purchase within 365 days. Flowers for the garden, homegrown produce, Mums, poinsettias… we love seeing what people choose with their gift certificates all year long!

Hanging Baskets are a very close second to gift certificates. Like a great big bouquet that can be enjoyed all summer, we have so many varieties and colors to choose from. And there’s nothing quite like or combination baskets!

We also have a variety of locally made gifts and treats! Stop in to see what’s new from our local artisans this year.

At Kirby’s, it always gets green long before the rest of WNY thaws out completely. In our greenhouse, the first batch of hanging baskets has been planted. Happy little annuals are growing vigorously on the benches, gaining some size before we hang them up.

14 trays of onions were seeded this morning. Onions are a first for us! Farmer Tim was inspired  by our CSA program to add a few new crops. He’s excited about the idea of giving our CSA members as much variety as we can throughout the season. There will be more plantings of lettuce and spinach too. Our regular customers will benefit as well, when that amazing homegrown lettuce stays around for a few weeks longer then usual, and homegrown green onions and beans show up on our market tables.

Soon there will be trays of tomato, cauliflower, broccoli, and pepper seedlings growing in the greenhouse. And before you know it, we’ll be out in the fields harvesting delicious produce for your table!

Sign-up Deadlines

• Early Sign-up by April 1st

• Regular Sign-up by May 22nd

• We will accept late members (as shares are available), with a $20 late processing fee.

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Click here for a CSA Membership Form!

Send completed form and payment by mail to 9739 Ridge Rd, Brockport, NY 14420 or email to info@kirbysfm.com. You can also bring your application and payment to the market as of May 1st, during regular hours.

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2012 CSA Highlights

>> 100 shares available for the 2012 season! We’ve doubled the number of shares we offer after a very successful first season.

>> New Produce! At this very moment, Farmer Tim is ordering seeds for the coming growing season. He’s planning to grow a greater variety of greens throughout the year with spinach and lettuce in the Spring, and collards, swiss chard, and kale in the Fall and Winter. I’ve also heard mention of fennel, green beans, yellow beans, celery, cilantro, basil, celeriac, parsley, and onions. We’ll also have more plantings of peas and pickles to create a longer, continuous season.

>> Days and times are staying the same for market pick-ups:  Tuesday or Saturday, 1pm-7pm.

>> Minimal price increase of $22 (short season)  and $26 (long season). Why did our prices go up? We upgraded our CSA box. Instead of reusing cardboard boxes, shares will be packed in a sterilized plastic crate. They’re sturdy, fold up for easy storage, and minimize the risk of cross contamination. More info on the new containers coming soon!

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In Progress: Satelite Pickup Locations

Have you been wanting to sign up for our CSA, but you live too far away? We’re asked about other pick up locations all of the time. We’re very interested in expanding our distribution, and figuring out a way to bring our weekly boxes of fresh, Kirbygrown fruits and vegetables to you!

We will set up pickup locations within about 30 miles of Brockport, for a minimum of 25 members per location. This is a great opportunity for companies interested in helping their employees live a healthy lifestyle!

If you have a group of interested people, contact us to receive an information packet and schedule a meeting or presentation. Phone: (585)637-2600   Email: info@kirbysfm.com

The end of the season is nearly here! Stock up on produce while these quality homegrown fruits and vegetables are still available.

APPLE UPDATE:

• We’ll have Jonagold, Empire, McIntosh, Macoun, Cortland and Twenty Ounce apples until we close on December 24th.

• Varities we’re getting low on: Red Delicious, Crispin, and Northern Spy.

To store apples for a long period of time, it’s important to keep them around 33-35 degrees F. Because of their sugar content, apples won’t freeze at 32 degrees. If freezing does occur, it will have an affect on the quality so be sure to keep them from temperatures below 30 degrees.

You could also enjoy the flavor and nutrition of apples throughout the winter, preserved as applesauce, dried apples, apple butter or apple juice. Click here for safe, simple recipes from the National Center for Home Food Preservation.

Over the years our customers have told us about storing their apples in large coolers, like the kind you would take to a picnic or on a camping trip. Storing apples in an insulated container like a cooler will help to maintain an even temperature, and keep the apples from freezing. In a cooler, your apples could be kept in a place where they might freeze otherwise, (in a garage, shed, or on a porch). I’ve also heard of people wrapping each apple in newspaper to keep them from bruising or

spreading rot. It is important to make sure all of your apples are free of rot, because it will

eventually spread in long term storage.

VEGETABLE UPDATE

With the mild weather we’ve had this December, cold season vegetables have lasted quite awhile. As temperatures finally drop into the appropriate December range, crops are experiencing one freeze too many. What we have now is it for fresh vegetables!

As of December 17th, we have a good stock of Romanesco, Cabbage, Broccoli, Kale and Brussel Sprouts, Butternut and Acorn Squash.

To enjoy these healthy veggies throughout the winter, check out the website of the National Center for Food Preservation. They have some great articles on freezing vegetables (like broccoli) and the proper way to blanch.

Locally grown potatoes are another great item to stock up on at this time of year. Right now we have seven 50 lb bags of red potatoes, as well as one 50lb bag and two 10lb bags of white. potatoes.  To properly store potatoes, keep them in a well ventilated, dark place

While your here, be sure to check out our selection of locally made gifts, stocking stuffers, and unusual gift-giving ideas! It’s always worth a stroll through the greenhouse to enjoy some holiday color from the poinsettias too.