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By stacey, April 29, 2013 12:30 am

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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By stacey, March 13, 2013 9:05 pm

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

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By stacey, January 31, 2012 12:13 am

If you’re new to our CSA program, please go to our FAQ page for more, in-depth information.

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

Comments (1)

By stacey, April 19, 2011 11:45 pm

Last week we met with a small group of people interested in our new CSA program.

It was a wonderful meeting. We had a great time sharing information and then hearing their feedback on several issues that we were still figuring out. A great big thank you to them! Our biggest question was price for a CSA share. With the help of our meeting participants, we came up with several solutions.

We will be accepting membership applications until May 22nd or up to 50 shares, whichever comes first.

>Half or Full Share

From the beginning we have offered a half share or a full share and they are just what they sound like. A Full Share will provide 4-6 people with most of the produce they need for the week. A Half Share will provide 1-3 people with most of the produce they need for the week.

>Make One or Two Payments

We appreciate the difference between paying a small amount each week (normal grocery shopping) and paying for a season of produce all at once. Lighten the load by breaking it up into two payments, one due on May 22^nd, and the second one due by July 22^nd. There is a $5 payment fee (to cover administrative expenses) if you choose two payments. If you choose to pay in full, that payment is due when you register, no later then May 22^nd.

> A Shorter Season

You can purchase a June-October 22 week share (instead of June-November 26 week share). Some people are most interested in the abundance of Summer when they purchase a CSA share. Save some money by purchasing the shorter season… of course your welcome to come in any time for apples, squash, pumpkins, etc, etc.

Click here to view a pdf illustrating examples of what’s available to a CSA member throughout the season. Click here for pricing and FAQs.

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By stacey, March 21, 2011 11:11 pm

We spent this afternoon hammering out the structure of our brand new CSA program. There is still more work to do, but we are all very excited to offer 50 CSA shares! for the 2011 season.

If you don’t know much about CSA, (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) check out the articles at localharvest.org. This is a wonderful site with so much information on what’s available from small farms across the country. (We used it when we visited California last year and enjoyed some really fantastic produce.) We’ve also used it for sourcing locally grown beef and pork. Kirby’s has our very own listing, and if you have an opportunity we would love for you to share your experiences at Kirby’s by reviewing us on the site. We need to see some green stars on there!

Stay tuned to learn more about Kirby’s CSA shares! We’ll be posting more details soon. If you have any questions feel free to email or message us on facebook.