Hello there everyone, and Happy Friday! I know many of you are expecting to hear from Farmer Chad, but we are trying something a little different this week. Some of you know who I am because of our CSA interactions in Rochester, but for those of you who are confused as to who this strange woman is communicating the Friday Field Update, let me give a quick introduction. I am Mandy Kirby, Farmer Chad’s wife. Chad and I have been together for 4 years and have been married for almost one. Early in our relationship, I can remember Chad telling me he wanted to continue running the farm. After talking only for a minute about his choice, I knew that this was the right choice for Chad. As the years have gone by, I continue to be blown away by Chad’s passion and dedication to his work.
As for my part on the farm, I do what I can to help out in the summer. When the apple harvest starts, I begin heading back to my classroom and preparing for the new school year. This summer, my job has been to deliver the CSA shares to the fine folks in Rochester, Gates and Ogden. It has been such a great experience too! I love being able to see the excitement in our customers’ eyes when they get their box full of goodies! Not to mention, we talk about different ways to prepare the food and what’s to expect in the coming weeks. Speaking of what’s to come…
Peaches! I know many of you are just as excited as I am about this fruit being harvested! Chad and I actually live on one of the peach orchards and we have been keeping a watchful eye on them throughout the seasons. As many of you know, it’s very difficult for this tropical fruit to grow in a northern state… Especially in Western New York. One ill-timed bite of frost in the spring can take a toll on peaches and many farms experience that in our region. However, this year is different. We were lucky enough to make it the whole spring with no damaging frosts! Because of this, the peaches are doing very well. The trees are absolutely beautiful and the fruit is delicious! I can smell the cobbler, jam and pies now!
Not quite this many tomatoes yet, but they are in their way!
In other Kirby Farm news, we are approaching the end of picking broccoli, but we are just beginning to pick green beans. There will even be some yellow wax beans in the mix too! We have also started bringing in summer cabbage and… (brace yourselves because this next bit is pretty special) Chad and his team have picked the first 100 POUNDS of tomatoes from the high tunnel! This is especially exciting for me because it offers so many opportunities to spend time with all of the members of my families. Over the years I have learned to appreciate spending quality time with my family in the kitchen. Every year my dad makes red sauce for spaghetti dinners, chili sauce and much more with these tomatoes. I love sharing my husband’s home grown produce with my dad and learning how to make the products last! The Kirby side also has a tomato tradition that I treasure. Each year we gather in Linda’s kitchen and make batches and batches of stewed tomatoes. Everyone has a job and the whole family gets involved. It’s always a blast! One of the best parts of being involved with this farm is seeing the family traditions get passed down (on Chad’s side and mine). I hope that you and your family are able to use our produce to create experiences of your own in the kitchen!
I hope you have enjoyed this special edition of the Friday Field Update and wanted to thank you all for reading and supporting our farm! Have a wonderful week everyone!