It's the best time of year to visit Crazy Daisies. The flower farm on Kasson Road, off Route 175 near Marcellus, has annuals, perennials, vegetable plants, herbs, succulents, hanging baskets, container gardens and much more to strike your garden fancy.
Crazy Daisies also has a Garden Cafe with a focus on fresh, local fare. So the question becomes: Shop for flowers first or grab a table on the porch first and have a bite to eat?
On Saturdays and Sundays, brunch is served from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. The menu is fairly simple, with things like French toast (made with Pastabilities raisin pecan bread or brioche) and real maple syrup, stretch bread breakfast pizza and breakfast sandwiches. Coffee is from Salt City Coffee and New York State beer, wine and hard cider is available, as well as specialty drinks like Bloody Marys and Mimosas. On weekdays, the Garden Cafe keeps it simple, offering cheese and olive boards, charcuterie plates, baked Brie and crackers, and hummus with vegetables. Stone baked pizzas are available on Fridays and chicken barbecues are offered some weekend. The aforementioned small plates are also available after brunch service on weekends.
I visited around noontime on Sunday and the porch was packed with diners enjoying breakfast, coffee and baked goods and sweeping views of the lush, green western Onondaga County countryside. It was so busy, in fact, that a staff member had to step out to get more eggs -- the kitchen was about to run out.
Place your order inside at the counter and it will be delivered to you inside or outside on the porch. A list near the counter notes their local suppliers, including Rohe Farms, Pastabilities, Dutch Hill Maple, Hiwire Honey, 2 Kids Goat Farm, Small Mountain Za'atar and others. Everything is made fresh to order and therefore takes a little extra time. I sipped a Bloody Mary and read a few sections of the Sunday newspaper before my food arrived.
From the chalkboard menu, I selected the garden vegetable scramble (with onion, kale and tomatoes), served with your choice of cheese on top and meat on the side, plus toasted stretch bread, all served in a paper-lined pie tin. The Bloody Mary, ordered spicy, was garnished with lime, celery and a pick holding a couple olives. I spotted homemade banana nut muffins and Half Moon cookies at the counter and treated myself to a Half Moon to enjoy later.
Before or after your meal, take a walk around the flower farm. A large greenhouse has thousands of plants and hanging baskets, arranged according to color. Have a garden space that doesn't get a lot of light? Step into the shade shed and find plenty of plants that are made for shade.
Crazy Daisies was established more than a decade ago by Jennifer and Glenn Cox. They have six children, some of whom are involved in the business. Jennifer and her team design and plant containers for residential customers and business clients, offer container gardening workshops in season and host special events, like "Yoga on the Porch.'' Both the indoor and porch space are available for private parties.
We are in the process of establishing a garden in the front yard of our home on the North Side of Syracuse, which will give me good reason to return regularly to Crazy Daisies and the Garden Cafe this summer and into the fall. The selection is great, prices are reasonable and after Central New York's winters, there's no such thing as too many flowers.
As staff member Kelly told me as I was perusing plants: "Perennials are like furniture. You have to keep moving them around until you find the right ones and the right place for them.''
Crazy Daisies is at 4695 Kasson Road, Marcellus. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sunday. Information: 315-498-5525. Information: Website Facebook
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