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.)

 

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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March on the Farm

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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.

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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!

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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

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.