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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.
Results of the Spring Weather: Right up until the point fruit begins to ripen, it can be very difficult to estimate how much fruit you have on a tree. As Farmer Tim says, “Small green leaves and small green fruit.” After predicting a complete loss for peaches this year, we were pleasantly surprised to discover ten percent of our peach crop on the trees. Even though it’s still a big loss, we’re very happy to be picking ten percent of our usual peach crop. They taste even sweeter then usual! 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.”
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 15st. A series of plantings means a longer season of broccoli in the fall.
It's pickling season! Call now to place your orders for fresh Kirbygrown pickling cucumbers. 3-4" are best for making whole dills, and 5-6" are preferred for bread and butter slices, chunks or relish. 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.
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.
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!
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
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.
top by to say hello and Happy Holidays before December 24th!
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.
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 head medium Cauliflower
2Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Salt, or to taste
2 cloves garlic, minced
Break the cauliflower up into one to two inch pieces. Toss the florets with the olive oil, salt, and garlic. Spread on a cookie sheet in a single layer and bake at 450 for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown.
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!
Decorate for Fall: Little white and orange Pumpkins, Gourds, Pie Pumpkins, tons of beautiful Mums, and Straw Bales. Soon to come: cornstalks and a fun variety of big pumpkins!
Kirbygrown Vegetables: Acorn Squash, Delicata Squash, Swiss Chard, Kale, Garlic, Sweet Corn(done by Sept 30th), Eggplant, Cucumbers, Green Peppers, Red Peppers, Sweet Hungarian Peppers, Hot Peppers
Kirbygrown Fruit (done by early October): Tomatoes, Peaches, Nectarines, Prunes, Pluots
Kirbygrown Apples: Honeycrisp, McIntosh, Cortland, Gingergold (Coming soon, dates are Approximate: Twenty Ounce 9/23, Empire 10/03, Golden Delicious 10/05, Macoun 10/05, Red Delicious 10/08, Jonagold 10/10, Crispin 10/15, Northern Spy 10/15)
Locally Grown Produce: Potatoes, Onions, Broccoli, Cabbage, Carrots
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The weather right now couldn't be better for canning. Spend a few hours in a steamy kitchen with baskets of gorgeous fruits and vegetables, putting them up for the coming winter, and you will relish every cool breeze. But you'll relish the satisfaction of putting up your own fruits and vegetables for a delicious and healthy winter even more!
Some of the most popular things to put up this time of year: stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato juice, canned peaches, canned pears, peach jam, applesauce, and apple butter. Every family has their own traditions. Last week the Kirby family canned tomatoes and peaches, this week we're making salsa! What preserving traditions do you have?
Freezing produce instead of canning is a great alternative. Quick, easy and definitely less steamy! You can freeze just about anything, but peaches, tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and sauces work wonderfully.
Cool evenings, damp and dewey mornings, the first sweet -tart bite of an early apple, and all the intense color that Fall brings. Purples, oranges, rusts, reds and gold. Even the air smells golden as leaves slowly change and fall to the ground.
Get out the woolly sweaters, bundle up by the last bonfires of the season, and add a flare of sparkling gold to your garden with this month's feature perennial; goldenrod!
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"You might be surprised that I have chosen Golden Rod for my plant this month. I am hoping to shed some light on this beautiful native plant and clear it's name from those who blame it for their fall time allergies. Most know that pollen is a major allergy trigger, and that airborne pollens affect sufferers the most.
Something that most people are not aware of is that the pollen from the Golden Rod plant is very heavy and it falls to the ground. It is not light enough to be caught by the wind to tickle and irritate your nose.
However, there is another plant lurking close by, blooming alongside Golden Rod - Ragweed! Ragweed does not have attractive flowers, and it's pollen is light enough to be carried by the wind.
As you drive through the countryside, notice the fields full of beautiful golden color. While wild varieties of Goldenrod can spread aggressively, the cultivars we offer at the market are much easier to control - you can have that amazing color in your gardens at home. Don't be afraid to let this bright, graceful and cheery plant add some light into your fall garden."
We have a great selection of fall blooming perennials at the market right now! Several varieties of Rudbekia, Gaillardia, Anemone, perennial Chrysanthemum, and lots more. Mix in a traditional Mum or two for a beautiful Fall display.
Celebrate these last sunny days of summer with a beautiful, healthy salad!
I love using raw beets and carrots together. The color is amazing: magenta and orange layered with vibrant green lettuce and brightened by slices of apple and a sprinkling of feta. You know you're going to get a whole range of important vitamins and nutrients with all of that brilliant color! And we didn't even start talking about flavor yet... Earthy, sweet, tart, crisp and salty. A delicious assortment of tastes and textures.
This will make one big dinner salad, or five side salads. Crisp, mild and sweet, Gingergold is the perfect apple variety for salads. You can find most of these ingredients at Kirby's!
1 local Carrot, coarsely grated
1 Kirbygrown Beet, coarsely grated
3 cups of local Leaf Lettuce, loosely packed
5 Tablespoons Cider Vinegar
1/5 tsp Salt (a good pinch)
1 Kirbygrown Gingergold Apple, diced, with several slices reserved as garnish
1 ounce Feta Cheese, crumbled
1 Tablespoon of Crunchies (sunflower or pumpkin seeds, chopped raw almonds or walnuts) optional
Method: Whisk together vinegar and salt in a small bowl. Set aside.
Place lettuce on a large plate or in a bowl. Arrange heaps of grated beet and carrot on lettuce. Drizzle with vinegar solution.
Add apples, sprinkle with feta and seeds or nuts. Enjoy!
Note: My default salad dressing is Cider Vinegar and Salt, and it works perfectly for this salad, in my opinion. Incredibly simple and refreshing, it brightens up a bowl full of veggies without overwhelming their individual flavors. If this isn't your kinda thing, have your favorite bottle of vinaigrette handy as a backup.
Several new peach orchards were planted on our farm within the last five years. All of that patience and hard work has paid off this season with one of the biggest peach crops we've ever seen! We have bushels of beautiful orange-gold fruits available until the end of September for canning, freezing, baking, making jam or just eating fresh.Glohaven: A midseason variety, Glohaven is a freestone peach that's excellent for canning (or jam), fresh eating, freezing, and desserts. Great peach flavor and plenty of juice!
Babygold: A unique peach, very popular for canning. It has excellent flavor, with a firm almost 'rubbery' texture. The upside is that you don't have to remove the skin when you can them and the firm flesh doesn't become stringy like so many other peach varieties when they've been in the jar for a little while. The only downside: they're clingstone, so you usually have to cut them off the pit. Babygold is the Kirby family's peach of choice for canning and we think the extra work is well worth it.
Gloria: A new variety this year, Gloria is another unique peach. This freestone, low- acid peach is nice and sweet with plenty of juice. It stays firm (almost crisp) even as it ripens, so you don't have to worry about bruising! We've never had a peach quite like it. Gloria is excellent for baking and fresh eating.
Raritan Rose: A low-acid, freestone, White Peach. Many of our customers wait for the white peaches to come out every year because they prize the distinctive, aromatic qualities. It's one of those fruits that create instant memories the moment you bite into it, and you'll never forget that first bite. Have you ever tried one? You really should, (especially if you're a fan of fresh peach daiquiris! They make the best I've ever had.) they are unusual and delicious... and they won't be here for long!
Cresthaven: Our last peach variety of the season. Freestone, excellent for desserts, canning (and jam) fresh eating, and freezing.
Donut Peaches: I'm sure you've heard of these odd looking stone fruits by now. If you haven't, hurry in and try some because they're almost gone! Each squished little peach is packed with flavor.
It's super easy, here's how I do it. Slice up the peaches and toss them in a large bowl with 1/2 cup of sugar per 4 quarts (about 12 peaches). Scoop them into freezer bags, 2 cups each, seal and lay flat in the freezer (be sure to spread them out instead of stacking them right on top of each other). Take out whenever you need a nice taste of summer during the long NY winter.
Since I use most of my frozen peaches for smoothies and other delicious beverages, I leave the skin on. If you plan to bake with them and would prefer to do so without the skins, dunk the peaches in boiling water for about two minutes. Allow to cool and remove the skin before continuing on with the rest of the process.
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Vanilla gives this delicious smoothie the effect of creaminess without any dairy, while hints of cinnamon and orange complement the peaches perfectly.
1/4 Cup Orange Juice
2 Ripe Peaches, cut into chunks
1 Cup of Ice
Dash Cinnamon
1/4 tsp Vanilla
Put all ingredients into a blender, beginning with the orange juice. Blend until frothy and smooth, then pour into glasses and garnish with a peach slice. A refreshing, fat-free beverage!
The Echinacea (Coneflower) at the market is putting on quite a show right now! These tough, enthusiastic plants are easy to grow in most gardens. Stop by and enjoy all the summer color in our perennial area and display gardens!
"Echinacea has been around for a long time (North American Plains Indians used it for a variety of medicinal purposes. They learned about it by watching injured or sick elk that sought out the plant!) and is a plant that is shared between many gardeners.
"It is always fun to see where it wants to be in your garden. You may have planted it in one garden the year before and have found it chose a new location the following year, maybe with the help of a winged friend. You can find a large array of Echinaceas from purpurea to newer varieties like 'Hot Papaya'. They are all striking and provide a food source for butterflies when they are in bloom and for birds when they have gone to seed."
We carry 16 different kinds of Echinacea at Kirby's: Echinacea purpurea; 'After Midnight'; 'Double Decker'; 'Fatal Attraction'; 'Fragrant Angel'; 'Green Envy'; 'Green Jewel'; 'Hot Papaya'; 'Magnus'; 'Pink Double Delight'; 'Ruby Giant'; 'Ruby Star';'Virgin', 'Big Sky', 'Sombrero Hot Pink', and 'Sunrise'. There is a color and a style for everyone!
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Does this cool weather make you think about Fall? It will be here before you know it! Make sure you take full advantage of the wonderful summer produce filling the market throughout August and September!
Peaches - bushels of peaches arrived this morning. As you can see, the color is gorgeous. We pick our peaches tree ripened for flavor and a little firm to avoid bruising. The first peaches are always clingstone (the fruit clings to the pit) but the flavor and incredible juiciness make up for it!
Sweet Corn- Our very own. Order by the bushel for your next summer picnic!
Tomatoes - nothing compares to the taste of a field grown tomato! Available by the pound right now, but canning season is just around the corner. Stay tuned...
Sweet Peppers - green for now, the red are getting redder all the time in this sunshine!
Eggplant - a unique vegetable in appearance and texture... eggplant parm, anyone?
Pickles - you can pick up these tiny, crisp versions of cucumbers one at a time or by the bushel. Our favorite cucumbers for salads. Available in 3-4" (perfect for whole dills) or 5-6" (best for sweet chunks, relishes and slicing). We also have regular cucumbers for slicing.
Zucchini and Summer Squash - Have you tried grilling zucchini yet? Just toss it with a little olive oil, salt and pepper, maybe some fresh herbs and you're good to go.
Black Raspberries - Fill a few freezer bags to enjoy this amazing flavor in the winter time! Great with yogurt for breakfast, in cobblers, cakes and pies... if they make it home, that is.
Beets - have you tried them shredded on top of salads? They add a wonderful splash of color to so many dishes
Sweet Cherries - won't be here too much longer. Another great treat to stock up in the freezer!
Sour Cherries - Their season is very short, so grab them while they're here. If you're a fan of these refreshing, sweet-tart stone fruits, check out the previous blog entry. You can enjoy them allll year long.
Locally grown - we also have blueberries from Fabry's in Holley, red raspberries from Brown's in Waterport, and carrots from a farm in the Rochester area.
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***NEW! IQF Sweet Cherries - 40lbs ***
Please note that we don't have enough freezer space to store frozen fruit past noon. Come as close to 9am as you can to make sure your cherries thaw as little as possible!
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Have you ever seen a cherry shaker?They look pretty strange. There are two very similar halves that go on either side of the tree, each driven independently by a 'tractor', tucked beneath a large, moveable, piece of yellow canvas stretched on a metal framework. A big pair of retractable pincers is nestled in the middle of one half. The pincers grab the tree and shake it! Ripe cherries tumble onto the canvas and cascade down the angled fabric, while a conveyor belt on the other half of the machine catches the cherries, sending them into a giant bin full of water and ice. I can totally imagine the thought process that went into designing this contraption!
The Kirby brothers (Francis, George, Bob, and John) invested in a cherry shaker together around 1980. Every year each farm would send a representative or two to help out as the cherry shaker made it's way from orchard to orchard. You need a truck driver, someone to man both halves of the shaker, people to drive the tractor or two moving bins around and loading them on the truck, as well as several people to fill bins with ice and water.
My empathy for trees and the serious demeanor of everyone involved, combined with the activity, noise, and vibrations in a place normally so quiet and tranquil, all added up to make quite the impression on my seven year old mind. Every year we would go out to the orchard to watch. If you're interested, there are some videos on youtube showing how the different parts of a cherry shaker work! I'll try to get some photos up of our cherry harvest this year.
The Kirby clan has sent many tons of cherries to the processor over the years. Only a small fraction goes to market as fresh fruit because they just don't keep that long. (They're fresh picked in the market RIGHT NOW, grab 'em while you can!) The cherries are washed, pitted, and frozen at the processors. From there they go to various companies to be made into pie fillings, juices, etcetera.
Instead of a tin full of frozen cherries that often stuck together in blocks, the fruit is now quick frozen so they pour out like marbles, and packed in large blue plastic bags. After a fire closed the plant in Middleport, we now get our truckload of IQF cherries from Holley Cold Pack, along with IQF Blueberries.
The biggest change is that you can get IQF fruit from Kirby's whenever we're open, May-December. We have a freezer in the market full of 4-8 pound bags of fruit - sweet cherries, sour cherries, and blueberries. We still have the big IQF event each year (coming up soon!) because as always, you save money by ordering large amounts.
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Hostas
Perennial Manager Jaime Brennan tells us about a plant with leaves of endless variety, Hostas, the July perennial of the month here at Kirby's:
"What is a shade garden without a Hosta or two? They come in so many shapes, sizes and colors. My biggest challenge every year is selecting just a few new varieties.
It has a strong upright habit with pale reddish violet flowers starting in early summer.I only wish we had more shade to plant one. At the other end of the scale we have 'Love Pat' a 14” Hosta with intense blue, deeply cupped and puckered leaves. White trumpet shaped flowers bloom from mid to late summer.
When I first started gardening I used to challenge myself to design shade gardens without any Hostas. They were too common for me at the time, but now I have come to appreciate the gracefulness of their leaves, the texture and variety of color that help to brighten any shade garden. It is also a joy to watch the hummingbirds dance from blossom to blossom.
We carry 24 varieties of Hostas: Hosta plantaginea; 'Blue Angel'; 'Blue Mammoth'; 'Dancing in the Rain'; 'Elegans'; 'Empress Wu'; 'Francee'; 'Frances Williams'; 'Ginkgo Craig'; 'Gold Standard'; 'Hadspen Blue'; 'Honeybells'; 'Love Pat'; 'Niagara Falls'; 'Northern Exposure'; 'Pauls Glory'; 'Peanut'; 'Remember Me'; 'Robert Frost'; 'Sagae'; 'Sum and Substance'; 'Thunderbolt'; 'Tokudama Flavocircinalis'; and 'Wolverine'.
I know a lot of our customers have been waiting for this moment. Our greenhouse still has plenty of beauitful plants in it, including big hanging baskets, geraniums... and lots more.
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Talking about getting in under the wire....! There are still a few days left in June, plenty of time to talk about this star of the Spring, Baptisia. We have several plantings in our display garden, some paired with classic orange poppies, and they are attention grabbers.
And now, a few words about Baptisia from our perennial manager Jaime Brennan:
"Baptisia is one of my absolute favorite perennials, being a native plant is one of the reasons why. I only wish it bloomed all summer, but it does produce attractive seedpods that last all fall and through the winter. There are some newer varieties that have longer bloom time. Baptisia australis is growing in the garden bordering the west side of our parking lot. They have become large beautiful bushes that have attractive light blue green leaves. Right now (June) you can see what a wonderful combination they make with oriental poppies. We have one beautiful plant of Baptisia alba located in the east garden 
at the edge of the road. There have been many requests for this plant that has dark stems with contrasting white flowers. My fingers are crossed that we will be able to offer them this year (several years ago I ordered Baptisia alba but they all bloomed blue).
Baptisia has a very large taproot that helps it tolerate the heat and drought we can experience here in NY at least once a summer. Their tall spikes have flowers that resemble that of a pea flower, which is not surprising because it is a member of the pea family. One interesting function that pea family plants can do is make their own nitrogen. If you've ever wondered what those small nodules on the roots were for – now you know."