Even if it were more expensive, it would be worth it. The food is so much better + I love picking up my shares and avoiding the grocery store!
At first we thought that it would end up costing us more money, but we quickly discovered that we are SAVING money every week. The quality of our meals has increased and the benefit of not having to go out and pick up or purchase from a grocery store are unsurpassed. Everything is so fresh and tasty.
You really owe it to yourself and your family to try them out. The food is great and plentiful and natural. The delivery to the door is sweet and the savings (in this economy) are the cherry on top.
They heard from their consumers that a dozen eggs a week and 5 pounds of rubarb was too much and said you could substitite or they wouldn't provide eggs at every weekly pick-up and then still did. They said you could substitued if you really didn't want 5 pounds of rubarb and they didn't adhear to that statement.
Want certified organic and local sign up to a true CSA or go to Whole Foods or the Farmer's Markets in your locality. H&B is hurting those folks business misrepresenting what they provide.
Former Subscriber to H&B who tired of hearing the Hog Wash and Spin
The couple's share is more than enough to our refrigerator stocked with vegetables. We also paid extra for the bread and fresh egg shares - couldn't be more pleased.
The owners and operators of this CSA are wonderful to deal with and very open with communication. They send regular emails to customers with updates and recipes to try with the veggies of the week. They also aren't afraid to pick up the phone if they have questions or to answer concerns. Unbelievably good customer service - with that and the quality of their produce it's no wonder they're so popular!
I would absolutely recommend Horse and Buggy to anyone interested in signing up for a CSA in the Charlottesville, VA area, and I actually have given that recommendation more than once.
Have been extremely happy and look forward to signing up next year as well...
Comment
Beth, I'm sorry that you did not feel that you could speak directly with us at H&BP regarding your concerns as it seems that you've been given some misinformation regarding our business. We are, self-reportedly, a natural foods cooperative that promotes community supported agriculture. Our business model is different from most "CSAs" as we do not grow our own food, but rather contract with and buy from local farmers in Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley. Much of the produce we provide to our subscribers is grown according to organic standards, although the majority of it is not "certified" organic. We do not "bash" organics, we just happen to deal with many Old Order Mennonite farmers who have opted not to go through the certification process to become organic farmers, even though many of their practices would qualify them for this. Your concerns regarding substitutions is somewhat confusing, so I'm not sure how to respond. We have separate egg subscriptions this year (both weekly and bi-weekly) so folks can choose the amount of eggs that are appropriate for their household. As for substitutions, we honor substitutions for people who have food allergies and handle this on a one-on-one basis. We also encourage subscribers to trade among themselves if they are not fond of a particular item in the share menu on any given week. We also encourage folks to try things that they may think they don't like, as freshly harvested fruits and vegetables can taste amazingly different than those bought in traditional grocery stores or markets. Again, I'm sorry that your experience with H&BP left you unsatisfied. We have many happy customers that return to us year after year.