Christmas at Kirby's

We're open until December 24th!

There is so much to find at Kirby's this holiday season:
Ornaments and Gifts; Christmas Trees;  Poinsettias;  Handmade Wreaths

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Trim the tree with vintage inspired glass ornaments, warm and cozy embroidered felt, rustic country themed clip ornaments, elegant snowflakes, or sparkly-Christmas-under-glass style ornaments, just to name a few examples.

We have a great selection of affordable gifts at $20, $10, even $5! Our brand new "Cherished Treasures" section is packed with an ever changing variety of vintage and antique items, such as beautiful glassware, bowls, kitchen implements, decorations and furniture. 

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Brighten your home with a colorful poinsettia.

Traditional red, festive Glitter (red and white speckles), beautiful white, Marble, Pink, or Picasso (speckled pink) are available from tiny 4.5" pots to impressive 8" pots. A poinsettia can also be a thoughtful hostess or host gift.

With our many years of experience growing poinsettias, you can be confident in selecting a high quality plant to take home or gift.

Below, from left to right: Picasso, a stunning break from traditional red; Marble, Pink, and White; and our 8" pans, a low and wide plant, perfect for centerpieces.

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Christmas Wreaths and Local Christmas Trees

Our wreaths are especially thick and fluffy, handmade on extra-sturdy, heavy-duty metal frames. We use a variety of greens from frasier fir, to pine and juniper to create fantastic texture and color variations. Custom order a wreath and we'll create a masterpiece just for you!

Our trees are grown right here in the Rochester area. Choose from Frasier Fir, Douglas Fir, or Concolor. Prices range from $20 for small table top trees, to $60 for our tallest trees.

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Apple Gift Baskets: four quart, eight quart, or half bushel baskets of Kirbygrown apples are a unique present for clients, coworkers, friends and family. Choose the gift you would like to include, or select from our Gift Basket themes: 

• Caramel Apple, with delicious Annie's Caramels, caramel apple dip and a handy apple slicer
• Afternoon Tea, with a scented fabric coaster, maple sticks, and a mug of your choice
• A Taste of New York, with Kutter's extra sharp cheddar cheese, local maple sugar candy, and Seward's chocolate Santas.

NEW Gift Shop Items, & Mother's Day Gift Ideas

May is here! Our doors are open and the market is ready for a new season. Everything is cleaned and polished, out on display, and waiting for you to visit! Just in time for an important holiday...

We have a bunch of new things in our gift shop this Spring, and so many perfect Mother's Day gifts.

These rustic bottle vases are a lot of fun, and we ordered a huge variety. Single double or triple, tall or short. They're perfect to add a little cheer to any corner of the house, with a single flower or a small bouquet.

Or, if you'd like to take a break from the usual flower arrangement, just pick out a container (shiny, rustic, or wooden) and plunk a beautiful plant or two inside. Our greenhouse is full of pretty and interesting plants, with lots of color and texture to choose from.  You've made a little bit of instant beauty that Mom can  enjoy as a centerpiece, and then plant in her garden to enjoy all year.

We also have tools and gardening gloves for the avid gardener. If you really know your gardener Mom's taste in plants, there are some gorgeous perennials in bloom right now. Bleeding Heart, Garden Phlox, Tiarella, and Brunnera are a few colorful examples. Or you could go with green and pick out a hosta or fern from our collection.

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Are there just too many choices? Gift Certificates from Kirby's are a very popular Mother's Day gift.

It's a lot of fun seeing them come back through the rest of the year, exchanged for plants, fruits and veggies, baked goods, jams, or a fun home accessory.

A few more gift ideas for Mother's Day: Dishes and bowls from local potter Rose Vantyne; battery powered candles; pretty mugs and bowls; or votive holders with a locally made soy candle from Sandy Creek!

Mother's Day Gifts

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! .

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.

End of the Season Produce

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

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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.

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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.

End of the Year Sales

Today marks the beginning of the end of the season for us here at Kirby's! There are only five more days left until we close for the winter at 2pm on Friday, December 24th. It is traditional for us to run sales the last week of the year. As a special Holiday thank you, our Poinsettias are 25 % off. It's time to stock up on homegrown produce for the winter! As of today, our Kirbygrown apples are all 25% off.  While you're here, don't forget the keeping potatoes from Rush's - they'll store very well and last for months.

All gift shop items  and jams are 20% off.  Finish up your Christmas shopping and save a little money at the same time!

We hope you're enjoying the holiday season, see you soon!

Deck the Halls

Every November we go out into the cold to gather beautiful little bits of nature, stashing them away until it's time to make wreaths for the holiday season. Rosehips, Juniper, Boxwood, Holly, as well as whatever seedpods we come across,  are carefully gathered. Bunched together with Pine, Balsam, and Fir or Eucalyptus, this great variety of everlasting materials creates wreathes of amazing texture and color. One of our favorite tasks of the season is working with these aromatic boughs to create unique wreaths and swags, ready for your doorway.

We also decorate our wreaths, both plain and mixed greens, with an array of sparkly and natural ornaments. Little bluebirds or cardinals, glittery sticks and leaves, silver or gold balls and colorful bows. With palettes of silver and blue, green and gold, red and gold, or the natural tones of pine cones, we have wreaths available to suit many tastes.

Do you have a special request? Place an order and we'll make a wreath just for you! (585)637-2600.

Locally Grown Gifts

The farm is such a busy place, it's really difficult to pick one thing to write about! A few upcoming posts will highlight what's in our greenhouse, our Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM, otherwise known as "good bugs that eat bad bugs") some of our favorite new perennials and native plants, and a crop update, so stay tuned!

For now, let's talk about some of the great locally grown gifts we have in the market giftshop. Carrying handmade gift items adds a bright spot to our day. We like seeing the displays of pottery, baskets, knit items and purses, created by our friends and neighbors instead of in a factory overseas. Please keep these folks in mind the next time you need to buy a little something for a special gift!

Deborah Wilson was our very first featured local artisan, and her pottery is definitely on the best sellers list. Beautiful bowls, plates, mugs, casseroles, teapots, and pitchers in gorgeous glazes of blue, green or brown.

Brooke Albanese of I Feel Like Dreamin' uses decorative paper to create stylish picture frames and little gift boxes. This year we're also excited to have hand knit items from Brooke. Felted bowls and baskets, cup cozies (keep your hand cool and your drink hot!) and wash cloth sets. The colors and textures are beautiful.

Sue Gaylard of Pursenality creates colorful quilted handbags that are so much fun! The patterns are great and they come in all sorts of themes. Bright and cheery or soft and subtle, a great way to make your wardrobe more interesting.

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We are also featuring the basket weaving of Jan Ferries. Unique, one of a kind baskets, no two are alike. We love the leather or wood handles, different textures and colors.

Our goal is to increase the percentage of items from local artisans every year. If you or someone you know is interested in working with us, just give us a call (585)637-2600 or bring in a sample.