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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.
Comments Off Here’s a little taste of Spring to start your week off right. Just a sample of what’s happening on the farm right now, starting with….
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!
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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.
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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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.
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Comments Off Mother’s Day is coming up! We always have a display of Mother’s Day gifts set up as soon as we open, to inspire you for the holiday. This year we have a new line of beautiful teapots and teacups in delicate floral patterns. The soft colors and feminine designs are particularly nice for a Mother’s Day gift (or to add something special to your own afternoon tea!). Put it together with a tea from Tranquility Herbals (blended in Albion, NY), a colorful coaster, and maybe some local honey… and you have a wonderful personalized gift for any Mom!
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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.
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Even though the ground is still frozen (and no doubt snow will be flying before March is done) we’re already seeing the first signs of Spring. With the mild winter we’ve had this year, green things are popping up pretty early. Have you noticed the daffodils poking through the ground? Maybe a patch of snowdrops or helleborus blooming?
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!
Comments Off If you’re new to our CSA program, please go to our FAQ page for more, in-depth information.
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.
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!
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!
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
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The end of the season is nearly here! Stock up on produce while these quality homegrown fruits and vegetables are still available.
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.
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!
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.
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Comments Off We hope you can tell how much you’re appreciated all year long, whenever you step inside our market. But if you stop by the market today you’ll definitely find more then a smile and a helpful attitude!
For product sampling this year we made the cornbread and chilli made from Country Home Creations mixes (both delicious!).
Try some homemade applesauce made with nothing but cinnamon, apples from our special Kirbygrown applesauce mix, and our own cider.
You can also sample “Mom’s Best” Applecake, and enjoy a free cup of fresh coffee or Kirby’s Hot Apple Cider to go with it.
It’s been hopping ever since we opened our doors at 10 am, with all sorts of people getting an early start on their holiday shopping. We hope you have a chance to stop in! We’re open until 6pm.
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Delicious Cruciferous!Members of the highly nutritious cruciferous family include broccoli, cabbage, brussel sprouts, collards, kale, swiss chard, cauliflower and romanesco. Each one contains unique nutrients to keep you and your loved ones healthy, and the entire family has well known health benefits.
Orange Cauliflower
This unique vegetable contains 25 times the level of Vitmain A of white varieties. This trait came from a natural mutation found in a cauliflower field in Canada in the seventies. Scientists have since used the same strain of mutation to develop more nutritious foods (with increased beta carotene) such as golden rice.
Purple Cauliflower
The beautiful purple color is caused by the antioxidant group anthocyanin, which can also be found in red cabbage and red wine. Thousands of years ago, some of the very first cauliflower ever eaten was purple!
This morning as we were packing the CSA boxes, the truck pulled up to the back of the market with the rest of the produce for the CSA shares. It was full of vegetables that had been harvested minutes before the truck left our farm in Albion: beets with dirt still clinging to the roots and leaves; dewy heads of cauliflower crowned with crisp leaves cropped short, brilliant purple, orange and soft white peeking through.
There’s nothing like standing by the truck as the back door slides up and your faced with giant mounds of perfect vegetables. You immediately want to photograph them, (maybe paint their portrait,) and then cook them up into a number of dishes good enough to pay tribute to their perfection. Here are a few suggestions…
Roasted Cauliflower
1 Cup each of Purple Cauliflower, Orange Cauliflower, Romanesco
2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
Break the vegetables up into approximately one inch pieces. Toss the florets with the olive oil, salt, and garlic. Spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 375 for about 40 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender.
An alternative method from Orangette, a food blog.
From NPR: spice up your cauliflower with a recipe from Melissa Clark. And read a Cauliflower love story from Nicole Spirifakis, with the added bonus of an intriguing recipe.
And if you really want to dress up your cauliflower, this Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart from Smitten Kitchen looks phenomenal!
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