CSA Sign-up Options

We love our online store. It makes it easy for our customers to sign up for CSA and pay online.

But we know that sort of thing doesn't work for everyone.

If you or someone you know would like to sign up for our CSA but prefers not to do so online, come by the farm market on April 27th, 28th, or 29th. You can use our good old paper forms and pay right then. We'll be there from 9am to 7pm each day, to help you get everything straightened out in no time, and then you'll have a season of delicious homegrown produce to look forward to!

Interested in reading more about our CSA?

• FAQ and Pricing
• Member Testimonials
• "What You Get in a Box" Examples
• Pick-up Locations
• Sign Up Deadlines

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2014 CSA Information

March is here, and that means that Spring is right around the corner. The greenhouse is already toasty warm and filling up with green plants. We're savoring these first moments of warmth and growing things! In July we'll look back and wonder where the time went.

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And now for the news you've been waiting for!  The CSA Store is open and ready to accept your membership for the 2014 season.

Prices are posted on our website (here), along with updated FAQs.

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Registration Deadlines

Early Sign Up Bonus: 

All members that register and whose first payments are received by April 1^st, will get an early sign up bonus.This year the bonus is your choice of a six pack of annuals. Any six pack we grow - so you can choose flowers, vegetables or herbs! Paying online with your credit card is the easiest way to make sure your payment is received by April 1^st (a little more reliable then the mail) but if you would like to send a check, please mail it early enough to be sure we receive it in time.

Regular registration deadline is May 1st. 

(You can still join later in the year if we have space, but a $20 processing fee will be added for all late registrations.)

Kirby's Winter Apple Pick-up

Have you heard? You can get great apples from Kirby's this winter. Even while the snow is piling up, and that last Mac in your fridge is too soft to eat, we're pulling bins of crunchy apples out of CA storage each month! We think that if you live in WNY, you should be able to get your hands on a good apple when you want one.

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We're opening the market for one afternoon in January, February, March, and April, just for apple pickups. If you missed the January pick-up, don't worry, February 18th will be here before you know it.

Be sure to place your order one week prior to the pickup date.

To Order: Send us an email with the name of the person picking up, your phone number, and your order.

Pay for your order when you pick up, cash or charge. Prices, pick up days and times  are listed here.

The first time apples have ever been sold at Kirby's in January! I'm pretty excited.  You can get decent apples at the grocery store, but they're so expensive. And even though they're good, they're still not as good as CA (Controlled Atmosphere) apples. The high quality apples that come out of Controlled Atmosphere storage rooms are the reason we decided to try this venture. After the room is sealed, all of the oxygen is removed, keeping the apples from deteriorating. When you take a bite, they're juicy and crisp as the day they were put away in storage. Pretty amazing!

In February we'll both Cortland and Empire available. Cortland are great for pies, sauce, baking, and they're pretty good for eating fresh too! I'm looking forward to a nice warm apple crisp, yum.

(If you did order apples in January, you'll notice our ordering process is a little different. We discovered a few hang-ups with the online software we were using, so we decided to go with email and good old fashioned cash!)

Kirby's Handcrafted Evergreen Wreaths, now online!

Piles of fragrant branches in so many colors and textures, red and gold decorations, and sparkly bows! Making Christmas wreaths is a lot of fun, especially when the end result is a festive decoration for someone's home.

This year, we're making our wreathsavailable online!

You can purchase our handcrafted wreathes at our online store, and customize it however you wish. 

When you click over to our online store here, you'll see that we start with a sturdy 10" or 14" ring that won't bend or warp. By the time we're done filing it out with a variety of greens, (many of which we harvest ourselves) the 10" wreath reaches 15"-18" in diameter and the 14" is about 19" - 25".

After choosing the size, you can customize your wreath with natural decorations of berries, pinecones, seedpods, a bow, or sparkly, eye-catching accents in red, gold, or silver.

Your unique wreath, handcrafted here at Kirby's, will be ready to pick up at the market in about one week, usually less.

Autumn's Chill

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The produce on our tables is always a reflection of the changing seasons. Right now we have: Brussel Sprouts; Winter Squash;  Romanesco;  Cauliflower; Cabbage; Apples; Broccoli; Swiss Chard; Kale; and Pumpkins.  We also have Local Potatoes, Carrots, Onions, Grapes, and Pears. It has been a particularly long season for tomatoes and peppers. Plum tomatoes were hanging in there for a while, but no doubt the hard frost last night put an end to them as well.

Kirby Pumpkins and Roc Brewing Company

 Pickin' Pumpkins with the Brewer

Jon of Roc City Brewing Company came by our pumpkin patch about a week ago, to pick up pumpkins destined to mingle with some hops. It was a lot of fun to discuss the farm, pumpkins, brewing and distilling with such an inspired, enthusiastic person! That weekend, six pie pumpkins and two Cinderella pumpkins were roasted and added to the brewing process for three new pumpkin beers.  I can't wait to taste them!  Here's a photo of Jon's haul on Facebook.

Boos & Brews at the Brewery!

The big event,  to celebrate the season and these new seasonal beer, happens on October 26th at the brewery.  Go to their event page for details. I'll be there with a nice display of pumpkins and other fall things. It sounds like  it's going to be a fun event! Stop by and say hi, and wear a costume!!

The First Day of October

It's the first day of October, and it feels like summer outside!  Warm sunshine like this may not be typical Autumn weather, but it's still great for visiting your local farm market to pick apples, get a bargain out of our Orchard Run bin, enjoy the ambiance, or pick out the perfect pumpkin.

Our Pick-Your-Own apple orchard is open for picking whenever the market is open. Monday - Saturday : 9am-7pm, Sunday 10am-5pm. Bring your own bags, or use ours!

We have a wonderful selection of gourds and pumpkins (just check out the previous blog post), Mums, and straw bales to help you create beautiful Fall decorations.

Apples variety we have now:

• Twenty Ounce
• Cortland
• Macoun
• Gala
• McIntosh
• Autumn Crisp
• Jonamac
• Empire
• Honeycrisp
• & Snap Dragon!

And don't forget the freshly pressed apple cider!

Other Produce in Season:

• Plums
• Sweet Corn
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• Cabbage
• Swiss Chard
• Kale
• Beets
• Garlic
• Tomatoes
• Sweet Peppers
• Hot Peppers
• Locally Grown: Carrots, Parsnips, Raspberries, Red and White Potatoes, Onions, Bosc Pears, and Quince

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Field Update: September at Kirby's

Here's a collection  of snapshots from the farm market yesterday. So many beautiful Fall colors to enjoy! Click the thumbnails to enjoy the full image.

Summer is blending into Autumn, as you can see on our produce tables! Sweet corn is coming to a close soon, and peaches are almost done. We have tons of prunes and tomatoes right now, but we're coming up on the last week of pickles. Sweet peppers are going strong, we just started our last planting of beets (they're beautiful!), our yard is filling with pumpkins and we're getting more squash and gourds every day! Stop by to enjoy those last tastes of Summer. Before you know it, they'll be gone until next year!

In-Season Update, End of August

Our list has stayed mostly the same since last week, with the addition of prunes & apples! We have Jerseymac, Paula Red, and Zestar in the market right now. Zestar is a relatively new variety, developed to beat other early varieties with crispness and flavor. It's a delicious, sweet, juicy apple.

• Tomatoes
• Peaches
• Prunes
• Plums
• Eggplant
• Watermelon

• Cantaloupe (big & small)
• Pickles
• Sweet Corn
• Red Peppers
• Green Peppers

• Hot Peppers
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Locally Grown Potatoes
• Locally Grown Blueberries

This is canning season, right through most of September! The time of year for putting all of this fresh produce up in jars or in freezer bags. Drying, jamming, pickling, stewing, and saucing! Call us at 637-2600 to place an order for pecks, 1/2 bushels, or bushels.

Eggplant, ready for parmesean, baba ghanoush, or eggplant lasagna!

Peaches are beautiful this year - large, sweet, and juicy!

Fresh prunes are delicious eaten as a snack, stewed, roasted, or baked into desserts.

Dill pickles, sweet pickles, relishes, salad..... yum!

Tim and Linda Kirby discuss the harvest of the day.

Crates of Zestar and Paula Red arrived yesterday, August 22nd.

August Field Update

Castleton Prunes (a type of plum) will be ready to harvest in about a week.

This is the peak of summer, and our farm market is filled with an amazing variety of Kirbygrown fresh fruits and vegetables! 

A bin full of green peppers waits in the shade.

• Tomatoes
• Peaches
• Apricots
• Plums
• Eggplant
• Cantaloupe

Gingergold apples are one of the first varieties we pick. In just a few more days they'll be ready!

• Pickles
• Green Beans
• Sweet Corn
• Red Peppers
• Green Peppers
• Watermelon

• Hot Peppers
• Broccoli
• Beets
• Locally Grown Potatoes
• Locally Grown Blueberries

Peaches: Red Haven peaches came in on Saturday. Available by the quart, four quart, peck, or bushel, they're great for baking, eating, and freezing.

Cantaloupe: The first variety of cantaloupe in our market is a small, single-serving variety. It's supers sweet, and so delicious!

Watermelon: It's been a while since we grew watermelon, but it was worth the wait! We have smaller yellow watermelons, and traditional red, both with seeds. They're incredibly flavorful, crisp, and juicy.

Tomatoes: Coming on slowly because of the cool weather, we're hoping to have tomatoes by the bushel by 8/22.

Apples: Jerseymac is our first variety, and Gingergold are close behind.

A full load of apples for the 2013 harvest.

60 bushels of fresh green peppers wait to be taken to our short-term storage facility.

Fruit harvests are shaping up to be fantastic this year!

The weight of ripe fruit will often stress or break a small tree.

Peaches are always picked tree-ripened: firm to the touch but fully colored.

Meanwhile, in our Garden Center, our beautiful Mums are just beginning to show color. We have dozens of varieties to chose from!

All of our Perennials are still 25% off! Find some amazing deals on clearance.

July Blooms in the Perennials

I ran outside to capture these beautiful flowers yesterday, when the sun finally peeked through the rain clouds. So many gorgeous varieties of lilies are in full bloom right now, along with butterfly bush, lavender, hydrangea... and many more!

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hydrangeas

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lavender

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July Field Update

Early sour cherry variety.

Hello from the farm! The persistent rain this Spring is a continuing challenge. It slowed things down and delayed the harvest on Spring crops like peas, lettuce, and beets. And then, it shortened the strawberry crop! I don't mind waiting for peas, but I am disappointed that strawberries are already done here.

We've said good bye to Spring crops of Rhubarb, Strawberries, and Spinach - it's time to embrace Summer!

To help you keep up with the changing seasons, here's a loose prediction of what the next month or so will look like.

Peas, Regular and Edible Pod

: Right now we're in our third planting with one more to go. We should have peas for two more weeks (mid-July)!

Lettuce: Our fresh lettuce will be available until mid-July.

Zucchini and Summer Squash are here now and will be until at least the end of July.

Sour Cherries showed up at the end of June. There isn't a lot of the first variety, so they won't be around too long. Later varieties will be here in mid July, and should last about 2 weeks.

Sweet Cherries arrived on June 28th, and they'll be around just into the beginning of August.

Broccoli

Fresh broccoli crowns, available by the pound.

: our broccoli plantings are shaping up to be pretty epic this year, with a total of about 400,000 broccoli plants in the field.  We're in the first harvest right now! 

Recipes: 

Broccoli Soup, Broccoli Salad, and Roasted Broccoli

Coming Up:

Pickles

will start showing up in about two weeks.  We're doing a planting each week for the entire month of July, with the last one going in on August 1st. This means we should have a steady supply for all of August and well into September, if Mother Nature cooperates.

3,000 feet of Beets were planted two weeks ago. We're looking forward to having lots to pick in about six weeks!

In our next update, we'll have news on tomatoes, peppers, sweet corn, and peaches.

2013 Bulk IQF Cherry Orders

It's that time of year again! We're now taking orders for our big annual IQF fruit sale. Call in your order by August 4th, and then pick them up on Friday and Saturday.

cherries

Available for One Weekend Only:

* Sour Cherries in 20lb bags & 40lb bags

* Blueberries in 30lb bags.

Call by August 4th to place your orders! (585)637-2600

Pick up on Friday August 9th

or Saturday August 10th

 9am-Noon

Bring a cooler to keep those cherries frozen!

Go to our IQF page to read more about our IQF fruit.

Strawberry Season!

If there's one thing a rainy Spring is good for, it's nice big strawberries. 

strwberries

As of this Thursday, June 20th, you can come by the market to pick your own. Bring your own containers or buy a few baskets from us, and spend an hour or two in our strawberry patch picking berries. It's a great way to save a little money on this delicious fruit, and a great way to relax. Our berry patch is full of nice thick straw to kneel on and it's looking pretty weed free so far (good job Farmer Tim)! We recommend coming in the morning, just to avoid the heat of mid-day.

If you'd rather enjoy some delicious strawberries without having to work for it, you can buy them by the quart and flat in the market.

We also have homegrown beets, lettuce, zucchini, edible pod peas, swiss chard, and garlic scapes.

For an even sweeter treat, grab a fresh cookie, turnover or scone. They come in every Tuesday and Friday from Greg'ry's Bakery in Bergen.

Our Greenhouse in June!

The big rush to get our gardens planted as soon as this chilly Western New York soil warms up seems to have subsided. Weekends in May can be very very busy at the market!

Now that June is here, things have quieted down and there is still a great selection in our greenhouse.

There are still holes to fill in gardens out there, and porches to brighten with hanging baskets. Make sure you come to Kirby's to fill them and brighten them!

You'll be glad you did. Our hanging baskets are always amazing, and they're still looking fantastic. We have plenty of Proven Winners in 4.5" pots, and bedding plants in 6packs.

Our combination container gardens, window boxes and hangings baskets sold great this year, but we still have a few left. If you want to make an instant statement, these huge planters are the way to go!

How are your gardens doing so far? Send us a photo of your gardens and containers - we'll post our favorites on the blog!

Field Update, May 31st

So far the weather has set us up for a pretty average Spring as far as timing goes. Patches of hot weather got things started, alternating with those cold snaps that slowed everything right back down. The rain we had earlier this week was very much appreciated by the plants, fueling the burst of bloom in our strawberry and pea fields. Read on for more details!

Spinach! Now filling a basket on our produce table, it's freshly pulled from a field behind the market and rinsed in clean, cold water. We only have one planting so it will be here for just a short time... but it WILL be back in the fall! Homegrown spinach is so tender and delicious. And full of nutrients of course!

Next up: Peas! The very first blossom showed up one week ago today. We expect to pick about three weeks after the first bloom, so look for peas around June 14th.

Our strawberries began to bloom right before the coldest weather hit in May. Even with the added protection of a row cover (light-weight fabric that provides a layer of insulati0n) our very first strawberries were killed by the cold. We were sad to lose what is always the biggest berries of the season, but the hundreds of blossoms in our field right now makes us feel a lot better! The strawberries out there right now are already getting some pretty good size to them. We should be picking in about two weeks if Mother Nature continues to be kind.

The quilt of lettuce growing in the greenhouse has been planted in neat rows in the field. When you drive by, you might notice two rows of white plastic next to rows and rows of black plastic. That's the lettuce! White plastic will prevent the tender leaves from burning. Black plastic absorbs heat, which can be great to get plants going in the Spring, but it's just too hot for lettuce. Lettuce will be ready for sale around June 14th as well.

Broccoli is the undertaking of the year! Every week for eighteen weeks, our Captain of Seeding, Ron, is planting 15,000 broccoli plants. This photo shows you just a small percentage of what is soon to be acres of glorious broccoli. We'll start picking around July 1st.

Perennial Sale Tables!

The plants on our perennial sale tables will change throughout the year, but you're sure to find some bargains! Most plants are in very good condition, and a few just need a little love.

Everything on the last row of perennial benches is 50% off . Right now there are some nice peonies, crested iris, and anemones (just to name just a few of my favorites).

There's also a sale table in the display area where everything is 25% off. A few plants you'll find on this table: baptisia, iris, campanula and  several ground covers.

Nothing stays on the table for too long, so stop in frequently to see what's new!

Spring Perennials!

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.

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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.

Spring Crop Updates

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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....

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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!

lettuces

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!

New for the 2013 CSA Season

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

Kirby's Farm Market (Brockport) on March 28th at 7pm

Bindings Bookstore (Albion) on March 26th at 7pm

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