PEARS

September 26, 2016 Stacey Steward

We always have an abundance of pears in late September/early October. At this very moment many of them are the perfect ripeness for eating or canning - golden yellow, sweet, and juicy.

Some area just beginning to go around the bend - they are a little soft with brown spots, but still super sweet and juicy, perfect for baking and cooking. We sell these as second quality, which means you can get a great deal at half price.

I brought home a dozen or so of the less-then-perfect pears and had some fun in the kitchen. Here's two recipes for you to try...

Pears for the Baby

First I made a puree for the baby. Leaving the peels on but removing the cores and stems, I cut the rinsed pears into chunks and pureed them in the food processor until smooth. After filling an ice cube tray there was some left, which brings us to recipe number 2!

PEAR SAUCE

I'm not sure if I've ever had pear butter, and I've definitely never made it, so this was a fun experiment! The end result is an amazing little bowl full of pure Autumn deliciousness so I'll be making it again soon. Reading other recipes online, I see that orange zest is a popular ingredient. There's definitely room to make this recipe your own.

6-8 pears, cored and pureed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Dash of cloves (careful, cloves are powerful!)
Pinch of nutmeg

Pour your fresh pear puree into a medium sauce pan.
Add the spices and stir till blended.
On medium heat, bring it up to a gentle simmer.
As the puree begins to thicken, reduce the heat to low and continue to gently simmer, stirring occasionally.
Cook until you it gets as thick as you would like it. Store in a tightly lidded container in your fridge for 7-10 days.

* This recipe has no added sweeteners. If you would like a sweeter Pear Butter, I recommend Maple Syrup or honey (both available at the market!) but wait until the end to add it, when you'll know for sure if it needs it. Until about 10 minutes before it was done, I was skeptical that it would turn out right. But the flavors intensified a lot near the end.

Early Autumn at Kirby's

September 25, 2016 Stacey Steward

We love Autumn at Kirby's! The colors, the smells, and the delicious flavors of Fall, are all filling our market right now.

Our first planting of Mums is in full bloom! Keep the color going all season with later varieties that bloom through October.

In Season

Homegrown: Apples, Sweet Peppers, Hot Peppers, Broccoli, Beets, Kale, Turnips, Cabbage, Garlic, Tomatoes (Plum, Canning, Regular, Heirloom, Cherry, Grape), Pumpkins, Gourds, and Apple Cider

Locally Grown: Parsnips, Carrots, Potatoes, Onions, Shiitake Mushrooms, Pears

Pumpkins!

Big and small, warty or smooth, yellow, orange, red, or white... create a beautiful pumpkin display with stacks, piles and rows of these amazing vegetables. Add perennial foliage plants for more texture and color.

Apples!

Honeycrisp, Autumn Crisp, Cortland, Macintosh, Gala, Blondee, Jonamac, and Gingergold

We have three different kinds of beets: Golden, which had a very mild, sweet flavor; Candy Cane, with beautiful red and white stripes; and regular Red Beets. Pickup a peck or half bushel to put up some beets today!

Find what you need at Kirby's to create an Autumn feast, or a simple dinner. Beets, potatoes, carrots, onions, garlic, and turnips - choose a few or all of the above and fill a pan for roasted fall vegetables.

The end of September is the very peak of growing season, as the last remnants of summer overlap the beginnings of Fall. So much is ready now! Enjoy some lingering flavors of summer with Roasted Red Peppers and Roasted Tomatoes. Browse our Recipe Index for more seasonal recipes.

Winter Squash Varieties: Acorn, Butternut, Buttercup, Delicata, Sweet Dumpling, and Pie Pumpkins.

Happy Fall! Hope to see you soon!

Soaps from Mrs. C's Apothecary

September 18, 2016 Stacey Steward

We're very excited to introduce a new line of handmade soaps, crafted nearby in Holley, NY!

Right now, we have Lavender Seasalt, Lemon Lavender, Tea Tree, Honey Oatmeal, and Country Cabin. New scents will arrive with different seasons.

Bars are cut to different sizes and priced by weight, so you can select a smaller bar to try a new scent, or a nice big chunk to last for weeks and weeks. Prices range from $3-$6.

From Mrs.C's Apothecary's Facebook page: "Handmade soaps, salves and balms. We use only all natural and organic ingredients with no chemicals or unnatural fillers, all made with love."

IQF Cherries

August 2, 2016 Stacey Steward

It's that time of year again! Place your orders by Wednesday August 3rd.

We have 20lbs or 40lbs of individually quick frozen sour cherries, and 30lbs of individually quick frozen blueberries.

Pickup on Friday August 5th, 9am-Noon or Saturday August 6th, 9am - Noon.

Early August Produce

August 2, 2016 Stacey Steward

We're weathering the drought by irrigating around the clock! Stop by the market and enjoy some of the delicious, hoemgrown tastes of summer!

Opening Day!

April 29, 2016 Stacey Steward

This Saturday, April 30th, Kirby's will open for the season. Winter is finally over and our lives are filled with green again! We hope you stop in to say hello!

Along with the usual jams, honey, and maple syrup, we have amazing apples for sale and our freezer is full of frozen cherries once again.

We've been bustling in the market, displaying new things, cleaning, and rearranging.

New quilted patterns, and pretty new pottery.

One week of sunshine makes a big difference in the greenhouse!

New Annuals! Part 2: Hanging Baskets

April 14, 2016 Stacey Steward

We've added some spectacular new colors to a couple of our favorite hanging basket lines this year. Superbells and Supertunias are fantastic bloomers with lots of color. We couldn't resist combing the new with the old, in our color-mixedbaskets, listed at the end. Read on to hear from our greenhouse manager Kaisa, what brand new flowers you'll find on our hanging baskets lines this year!

Superbells

-Superbells Holy Moly (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners) We are all pretty excited for the Holy Moly. They're different looking from any other Superbells. We think customers will like them a lot. We also planted Holy Moly in a mix hanging basket with Superbells Pink.
- Superbells Evening Star (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners). We also planted this one in hanging baskets with Superbells Plum and Superbells Yellow. This might be my favorite Superbells mix.

Supertunias

- Supertunia Picasso in Blue (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
- Supertunia Honey (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
- Supertunia Surfinia Deep Red (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
Supertunia Violet Star Charm (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)

New Supertunia mixed hanging baskets added:

- Violet Star Charm, Morning Glory Charm
- Rose Blast Charm, Sangria Charm
- Surfinia Deep Red, White, and Royal Velvet

Other New Hanging Baskets....

We have a new trailing Vinca hanging basket, in dark red. We have never had any type of Vinca in hanging baskets before. Our rep, Phil, told us these grow beautifully, and people love them. I am most excited to see how these turn out. (new to us)

Portulaca Purslane Mojave Yellow (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)

New Annuals for 2016! Part 1: 4.5" Pots

April 4, 2016 Stacey Steward

For the first in our series of "New Annuals" blog posts, let's talk about 4.5" pots! This area of the greenhouse is my favorite place to look when I put together container gardens and mixed hanging baskets. We have a great selection of Proven Winners in many textures and colors, and these plants are particularly enthusiastic and robust! Trailing, upright, folliage, or flowers - you can create any look, from simple and sophisticated, to raucous and colorful. Our greenhouse manager Kaisa filled me in on what's new for 4.5" pots....

New Superbells

Superbells Holy Moly (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners). We are all pretty excited for Holy Moly. They're different looking from any other Superbells. We think customers will like them a lot.
Superbells Evening Star (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)

New Supertunias

Supertunia Honey (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
Supertunia Picasso in Blue (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
Supertunia Surfinia Deep Red (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)
Supertunia Violet Star Charm (newly available for 2016 from Proven Winners)

Other New varieties...

This year we have Citronella available in the greenhouse, in 4 1/2" pots!
Come in and look for Geranium Sweet Scented Mimosa (by customer request) We also added a variety of really neat looking annual succulents to the greenhouse this year, in 4 1/2" pots.

- Browalia Endless Flirtation (new variety for 2016 from Proven Winners)
- Coleus Fishnet Stockings (new to us)
- Lantana Bandana Cherry
- Lantana Pinkberry Blend (new variety for 2016 from PW)
- Angelonia Wedgwood Blue (new to us)

Succulents!

We also added a variety of really neat looking annual succulents to the greenhouse this year, in 4 1/2" pots.

Kirby's 2016 CSA

March 3, 2016 Stacey Steward

The snow can come and go. ... and come and go again, we're ready for Kirby's CSA, 2016!

A Full share of produce from the month of August.

This year our CSA season is 23 weeks long, going from June 14th to November 19th. That's a full range of homegrown fruits and vegetables, spring, summer, and fall - from peas and rhubarb to apples and winter squash. This year we're trying out turnips and broccoli rabe, adding those two delicious veggies to our existing line up of over 30 different types of produce.

To learn more, visit our CSA page where you'll find FAQs, examples of CSA shares, pickup location options, and comments from past members. Check out our produce calender for more information on what we grow and when. When you're ready to sign up, head over to our online store and we'll see you in June!

If you'd like to hear about our CSA in person, check back soon! We'll be posting about our annual informational meetings by the weekend. One will take place at the Ogden Farmer's Library, the second will be located at the farm market.

The Greenhouse is Coming Alive!

March 3, 2016 Stacey Steward

After just a few days, the empty metal and concrete structure of our Big House is filling up with tiny green life!

Tim Kirby transplants tomato seedlings while Kaisa and Stephanie plant hanging baskets in the background. Bay 2 is filling up!

The five gallon patio tomatoes have a great start. By May they'll be over two feet high and loaded with plenty of blossoms, green fruit, and some ripe tomatoes.

A few of the hundreds of hanging baskets we grow, ready to be planted.

Tiny superbells are snug in their new homes. If you've ever visited our greenhouse in May, you know how spectacular they'll look in just a few months!

In Season Now: Mid-September

September 14, 2015 Stacey Steward

Homegrown Vegetables: Sweet Pepeprs, Hot Peppers, Kale, Swiss Chard, Broccoli, Cabbage

Homegrown Fruit: Apples, Prunes, Peaches (until 9/20), Mini Cantaloupe, Cantaloupe, Tomatoes

Locally Grown Produce: Bartlett Pears, Concord Grapes, Potatoes, Sweet Corn

It's a gorgeous time of yea! A little summer produce is still hanging on, while Fall fruits and vegetables begin to fill our tables.

Tomatoes are in full swing right now. The field is full of beautiful red plum, regular round, and San Marzano tomatoes. Call to place your order for a bushel or three!

Peppers are also peaking. Bushels of beautiful red peppers come in from the field every day, along with green bell peppers, sweet Italian, sweet Hungarian, jalapeno, and hot cherry bomb peppers.

Peaches are pretty much finished for the season. We still have babygold (our favorite peach for canning) and some regular freestone peaches, but they'll be finished by the end of the week.

our favorite recipes to make this time of year:

Broccoli Soup, Kale and White Bean Soup, Lentil Soup with Swiss Chard, Moroccan Eggplant Stew, Marinated Eggplant, with Variations, Roasted Red Peppers, Garlicky Fridge Pickles, , Late Summer Salad, Chocolate Beet Cake

Meanwhile, we can't hold Fall back any longer! Pumpkins are popping up in the market, our cooler is full of fresh, sweet cider, and new apple varieties come in every day. Today we got our first delivery of McIntosh!

This cool rainy weather let's us take a breather to enjoy a fresh apple, some apple cider (a nice steaming hot cup on a cold day) and maybe a cookie from Gregr'ry's.

Our Own Raw Honey!

September 4, 2015 Stacey Steward

Available Now

Last fall we put honey out for sale, from our own bees, for the first time. Each season has it's own distinct flavor profile and color. You can find them for sale in our market right now!

Spring Honey comes mostly from Apple Blossoms and Locust Tree Blossoms. The result is a beautiful light golden color, and an equally light flavor. We think you'll notice some nice fruity and floral notes. This is one of the most unusual and distinctive honeys we've tasted.

Our Summer Honey is made while the most plentiful blossoms on the farm are the wildflowers that fill every nook and cranny. Clover is one of the most common wildflowers. We describe it as "fruity and tart with flavors of ripe fruit and caramelized sugar." This honey has the most typical, neutral, honey flavor.

In Autumn, our bees collect pollen mostly from Goldenrod and wild Asters. The flavor is "rich, smooth, and mellow, with notes of raisin".

Buckwheat is another distinctively flavored honey. A field of buckwheat will keep bees very busy and producing a lot of honey! Our buckwheat honey is milder in flavor than other buckwheat honeys we've tried (the flavor can be very strong and dark). We describe our buckwheat honey as "Sunny, with a powerful, deep sweetness and a hint of molasses."

New, Coming Soon!

Honeycomb is a luscious bite of thin compartments of chewy beeswax, full of sweet honey. If you've never tried it before, it's worth it! Packaged in one pound containers, honeycomb will be for sale on our shelves soon.

Large, three pound jars of summer honey, and beautiful tall corked jars will also be in our honey cupboard soon.

End-of-August Produce

August 28, 2015 Stacey Steward

The cool temperatures this week really feel like fall! It's a good reminder to enjoy the bounty of summer while it's still here.

In Season Now:

HOMEGROWN: Peaches, Plums, Nectarines, Cantaloupe, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes (Regular, Roma, & San Marzano), Garlic, Sweet Peppers and Hot Peppers, Eggplant, Cabbage, APPLES: Zestar, Gingergold, Paula Red

LOCALLY GROWN: Potatoes, Onions, Carrots

2 NEW CSA Share Options

April 14, 2015 Stacey Steward

Introducing…. The Chomper and the Nibbler!

Our CSA store is now open for business! Head on over to purchase a 2015 CSA share.

In addition to our usual 22 week CSA share and 3 week Fall Extension, we’re adding two new options – a four week and a one week CSA share.

Farmer Chad designed the Chomper for those of you with a very busy schedule. Whether it’s because of your child’s extra-curricular activities or a long vacation, we appreciate the fact that a season long commitment doesn’t work for everyone. The Nibbler is a one week share, a great way to try out our CSA. Either of these options would make a great gift. We’re going to start with 25 shares available each month for the Chomper, and each week for the Nibbler.

The Chomper

Choose which month(s) – July, August, September, or October – and receive a weekly half share for those four weeks. Just like our regular CSA, these boxes will contain whatever fresh fruits and vegetables are in season. There may be differences from our regular half share depending on what’s available, but it will always have 5-7 different types of produce with a value of $15. Ordering for each month closes one week before that month begins. For example, if you would like the September Chomper, be sure to place your order by August 24th.

The Nibbler

A one time pickup. It’s perfect for anyone that just wants to see what a CSA box from Kirby’s will be like. What will you find in your one week Nibbler box? Just like the Chomper, it’s a half share box of whatever fresh, delicious produce is in season that week! Again, there may be differences from our regular half share depending on availability, but it will always have 5-7 different types of produce with a value of $15. Order one week before pickup.

Let us know if you have any questions! Just send an email to info@kirbysfm.com.

CSA, Uncategorized | brockport, Community Supported Agriculture, CSA, fall extension, farm market, fresh produce, fruit, homegrown, Kirby's Farm Market, Kirbygrown, membership, new york state, short season, signup, Spring, vegetables, western new york, WNY Edit

September Color

September 17, 2014 stacey

This is such a beautiful and exciting time of year! Summer and Fall merge, in a glorious display of color.

You can find pumpkins, strawbales, gourds, apples, and apple cider at Kirby's. A great start to the Fall season!

We love growing a variety of pumpkins and gourds...

This giant gourd variety grows into some very interesting shapes and colors.

Little orange and white pumpkins are adorable, in just as many shapes and sizes.

Our large Mums are exploding with color!

And there are a lot of colors to choose from. Complement your mums with some interesting foliage plants from our perennial area. Perennials are all 25% off!

Produce Update

Tomatoes are at their peak, while peaches are beginning to come to a close. Right now we have Cresthaven peaches, which are a freestone variety that's excellent for baking, eating, freezing, and canning. We also Babygold, a clingstone variety that is our personal favorite for canning. They have excellent flavor, you don't have to peel them, and their firm flesh holds up well in a jar.

Apple Varieties Available now:

Honeycrisp, Autumn Crisp, Gingergold, McIntosh, Paula Red, and Jonamac

Other homegrown produce in season:

Sweet and Hot Peppers, Eggplant, Lettuce, Kale, Beets, Broccoli, Garlic, Cauliflower, Plums, Pluots, and Nectarines.

Locally grown produce in season:

Potatoes, Onions, Carrots, Parsnips, and Shiitake Mushrooms

Field Update: Spring Growth, May to June

June 9, 2014 stacey

In mid-May, we were planting every single day. Peas, then lettuce, pickles, squash, beets, beans, broccoli, and more broccoli. As soon as the weather was warm enough and the soil was dry enough, we had to move as fast as we could.

The well-drained soil that we have on our Brockport farm is very important to us at this time of year. All of that Spring rain soaking the soil and slowing us down on our Albion farm, just drained away to the south, through the sandy soil here in Brockport.

In May the apricots bloomed, then cherries, followed by peaches, plums, and finally apples. Such a beautiful time of year.

Now it's June! This Spring season started out cold and wet, slowing us down a little. We're very thankful for the warm temperatures that the end of May brought us, and it's amazing how much things have grown. It means that we're packing fresh peas, CA apples, rhubarb, lettuce, and basil in our very first CSA share of the season.

Take a look at what can happen in three weeks!

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Peas

From bushy little pea plants, to taller bushes with lots of bloom supported by string... and now we have peas! (See if you can find the pea in the photos.) Edible Pod Peas are for sale in the market as of June 8th and we'll have them for weeks.

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Lettuce

Lettuce came out of the greenhouse three inches high, and now look! It doesn't take long for lettuce to be ready for harvest. We have heads of this incredibly tender lettuce for sale in the market, right now!

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Strawberries

According to Farmer Tim, our strawberries have the best bloom he's ever seen! The weather has cooperated so far and we haven't lost any to frost this season. Picking should start in 7-10 days, we're looking forward to an amazing strawberry harvest!

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Pickles

Pickles were planted while the weather was still cold, so they were covered with a row cover. Row cover is a very large sheet of light weight fabric that insulates the plants from damaging temperatures. From small pickle plants tucked under the row cover with just a few true leaves, and now they're starting to look like vines! In the third photo, you can see our "control group" on the left, that was not covered by row cover. The plants weren't burnt by the cold, but you can definitely see the difference in size.

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Squash

It's incredible what can happen in a few weeks. We'll have squash on our table in about a week!

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Beans

We'll start out with green beans this year. Yellow beans are in the second planting, along with more green! We started growing beans just three years ago, and we all really enjoy the difference you get in homegrown, handpicked beans. They're the sweetest, most tender beans you'll ever eat!

Can you tell we've been working hard?

50% off Select Perennials

May 23, 2014 stacey

A Perennial sale this big is a rare occasion at Kirby's, but we're ready to move out our older plants to make room for new and interesting perennials! Wander around in our perennial area and you'll find dozens and dozens of pots with bright orange or pink stickers on them. If the pot has a sticker, it's 50% off! Our Perennial of the month is also 50% off, Amsonia hubrichtii! This beautiful and graceful perennial is a native plant. Long lived, bug and pest free, it’s flowers emerge in May and June with clusters of steel blue. The long narrow leaves give the plant a look of a bottle brush that turns to a golden yellow in the fall.

If you're looking for deals, be sure to check out the clearance perennials, found in the last row in our perennial area.

Perennial Talk at Kirby's

Finding the perfect plant for your garden can be overwhelming, when faced with hundreds of choices at a garden center.

This season we're inviting you to join our Perennial experts, Jaime and Judy, for an informative stroll around our perennials. They'll highlight some of their favorite plants, give helpful hints on how to navigate our perennial area, answer questions, and give suggestions for your garden.

Come by every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday in May, at 10:30am or 2pm, and learn about beautiful perennials for your garden!

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

May 2, 2014 stacey

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!

May 1st Farm Update!

May 1, 2014 stacey

On a drive around the farm today, beautiful signs of Spring were everywhere. The apricot trees are the first to flower!

Peas

We had a cold start to the season this year and there will be a slight delay because of it. Even for cool weather crops like peas, you have to wait for the soil to warm up enough before you can put seeds in the ground.

For the past two years, peas were planted in the first week of April, but for 2014 they weren't in the ground until the third week. Although this is closer to normal, it does mean that we'll have to wait a little longer for those delicious green pods to make an appearance.

Strawberries

When the forsythia blooms, we know it's time to rake the insulating layer of straw off of the strawberry plants. The sooner their green leaves can bask in the warm Spring sunshine, the sooner we can bite into a sweet, red, strawberry.

Broccoli

This is the earliest broccoli has ever been planted at Kirby's. Thousands and thousands of plants were seeded. Starting in June, broccoli will be harvested every week until cold temperatures kill the plants. We're in for another epic year of broccoli!

Peaches

Last year we all enjoyed a phenomenal peach crop - we just about had more peaches then we knew what to do with! Unfortunately, it looks like this year we'll be lucky to find a peck basket in the entire orchard. It’s sad news for us, and our customers. Luckily many of our other stone fruits weren’t hit as hard; it looks like the plums, prunes, and apricots will be bearing a normal crop!

You might remember a few days this past winter, when the temperature dropped to -11F. That was too cold for the tender young growth of the peach trees to survive. The trees themselves weathered the winter, but those young buds are the source of this season's peaches.

If you're wondering how we can predict the yield for a crop that won't fruit for months, there is a simple way to find out if your blossoms will turn into fruit.

Sometime in April when the buds on the trees are just beginning to break out, Tim Kirby cuts a handful of small branches. He sticks them in a bucket or jar and keeps them in a warm place. The buds will open enough to reveal the flower. With the help of a magnifying glass and a small knife, you can see whether the inside of the pistil is black or green. A black heart is a sure sign that the fruit doesn't have a chance.

Thanks for reading! We know our customers like to stay informed of how the weather is effecting the crops, and how the season is coming along. For the rest of the year, we 'll post a Field Update on the first and third week of the month. See you soon!

April Flowers

April 10, 2014 stacey

Walking in the greenhouse today, I saw little bits of color everywhere. So I picked a little photograph bouquet! I hope you like it!