Kirby's 2016 CSA

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.

A Full share of produce from the month of August.

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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.   

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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 1st, 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 1st (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.)

 

2012 CSA Season! Highlights and Signup

If you're new to our CSA program, please go to our FAQ page for more, in-depth information.

Sign-up Deadlines

  • Early Sign-up by April 1st
  • Regular Sign-up by May 22nd
  • We will accept late members (as shares are available), with a $20 late processing fee.

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Click here for a CSA Membership Form!

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.

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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!

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In Progress: Satelite Pickup Locations

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!

We will set up pickup locations within about 30 miles of Brockport, for a minimum of 25 members per location. This is a great opportunity for companies interested in helping their employees live a healthy lifestyle!

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

Cool Weather Vegetables Part 1 : Cauliflower

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!

CSA Pricing Options

Last week we met with a small group of people interested in our new CSA program.

It was a wonderful meeting. We had a great time sharing information and then hearing their feedback on several issues that we were still figuring out. A great big thank you to them! Our biggest question was price for a CSA share. With the help of our meeting participants, we came up with several solutions.

We will be accepting membership applications until May 22nd or up to 50 shares, whichever comes first.

>Half or Full Share

From the beginning we have offered a half share or a full share and they are just what they sound like. A Full Share will provide 4-6 people with most of the produce they need for the week. A Half Share will provide 1-3 people with most of the produce they need for the week.

>Make One or Two Payments

We appreciate the difference between paying a small amount each week (normal grocery shopping) and paying for a season of produce all at once. Lighten the load by breaking it up into two payments, one due on May 22nd, and the second one due by July 22nd. There is a $5 payment fee (to cover administrative expenses) if you choose two payments. If you choose to pay in full, that payment is due when you register, no later then May 22nd.

> A Shorter Season

You can purchase a June-October 22 week share (instead of June-November 26 week share). Some people are most interested in the abundance of Summer when they purchase a CSA share. Save some money by purchasing the shorter season... of course your welcome to come in any time for apples, squash, pumpkins, etc, etc.

Click here to view a pdf illustrating examples of what's available to a CSA member throughout the season. Click here for pricing and FAQs.

2011 CSA Pricing

UPDATE: After hearing from our customers we took another look at our prices. We hope the new options available (as listed in this post) make a CSA share a more viable option for you! Prices are corrected below. ____________________________________________________________

Thank you for being patient as we calculated the pricing for our CSA shares. Whew, that's a lot of numbers to crunch!

A Full share will provide 4-6 people with most of the produce they will need for the week. The cost is $650 $625.

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A Half Share will supply 1-3 people with most of the produce they will need for the week. The cost is $390 $320.

>>Our CSA Meeting is coming up next WEDNESDAY, APril 13th at 7pm. Please come by with your questions and ideas! We can't wait to hear from you.

Is CSA Right For You?

CSA Informational Meeting

Wednesday, April 13 at 7:00 pm

Location: Our greenhouse at the Market (map).
We hope you can make it to our first meeting! Topics for discussion include our farming practices and what you can expect from a CSA share with Kirby's. Then we will open the floor to questions! Your feedback will help us make decisions throughout the season, starting with our first meeting.

A few details about our CSA Shares

  • There are 50 Shares available
  • All produce we grow will be included as permitted by Mother Nature, including fruit!
  • Choose a Half Share or a Full Share.
  • A share can be paid for in one or two payments.
  • Your first payment is required to reserve your share.
  • Shares will include additional market benefits.
  • Members must commit to picking up their share on Tuesday 1pm - 7pm or Saturday 1pm - 7pm.
We are still in the process of calculating a price. We will publish that information by Friday April 8th.
Click here to visit our page on localharvest.org for more information, including a list of the fruits and vegetables we grow and a description of our farm.  And, if you are new to the idea of Community Supported Agriculture, check out this article at Local Harvest.

News! Kirby's CSA Program

Homegrown Lettuce and Peas for sale in the market.

We spent this afternoon hammering out the structure of our brand new CSA program. There is still more work to do, but we are all very excited to offer 50 CSA shares! for the 2011 season.

If you don't know much about CSA, (which stands for Community Supported Agriculture) check out the articles at localharvest.org. This is a wonderful site with so much information on what's available from small farms across the country. (We used it when we visited California last year and enjoyed some really fantastic produce.) We've also used it for sourcing locally grown beef and pork. Kirby's has our very own listing, and if you have an opportunity we would love for you to share your experiences at Kirby's by reviewing us on the site. We need to see some green stars on there!

Stay tuned to learn more about Kirby's CSA shares! We'll be posting more details soon. If you have any questions feel free to email or message us on facebook.