U-Pick FAQ

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When are market days/times? When are you open for U-pick?

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U-pick hours are the same as our normal market hours. We will usually have two pickups day each week for 2023; on Saturdays from 9 am to 1 pm and on Tuesdays from 3 pm to 7 pm. These are also the times members can come for U-pick, depending on what's available. Occasionally we may cancel or postpone a market day due to thunderstorms, in the rare event that we are away from the farm, or when we have very little crops to sell in a given week - but this is a rarity and does not happen often.

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Can I bring my own containers?

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Yes, you can bring whatever containers you like. Just be aware that if you are using anything other than quart or pint containers, we will have to tare the scale to figure out how much your empty container weighs. You can either tare your container before picking or we can transfer your berries to a different container to figure out their weight after you pick. We also have quart and pint containers available for customers, so you are more than welcome to use these.

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Can my kids pick berries with me?

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Picking berries is a great activity for kids, but the one thing that we ask is that children be supervised at all times. Farms are inherenetly dangerous places and there are ponds and animals and other hazards on the farm that unsupervised children could be hurt by. Children under 10 years of age should be in the same row as their parents when they pick. Younger children are especially prone to picking unripe berries or eating berries directly, so please make sure they are picking properly. Running around the farm, screaming, chasing our animals, throwing berries are all not acceptable behaviors for U-pick.

 

Am I allowed to sample berries?

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Each picker is allowed to sample a couple berries of each type you are picking to make sure you are happy with the flavor and ripeness. The rest should go in the container until they are weighed and paid for. We trust our members and mostly rely on the honor system in this regard, so please be respectful of this!

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Can I bring my dog?

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We have strict no dogs policy on our farm, so please keep your pets at home. Sorry, but we cannot make any exceptions to this rule. We love dogs and have them ourselves, but we can't allow other dogs on our farm for safety reasons.​

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How can I pay for what I buy? Do you accept credit cards?

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Whatever you decide to buy on pickup days, and any U-pick you decide to do, is always paid for in-person on the farm. We use square for payment processing. We can take credit cards, cash, and checks. We no longer accept Venmo for on-farm payments.

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Other FAQ

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What kind of items are available for purchase?

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Our focus is mostly on U-pick (PYO) and pre-picked berries and tree fruits. We will sell vegetables too here and there, but more sporadically because it's less of a focus for us, We offerlot of unique and unusual things you just won't find at other CSAs! Here's a list of most of the things you can expect to see for sale throughout the year:

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Berries and Fruits (In order of ripening, never sprayed with anything):​

• strawberries: U-pick and pre-picked and usually very plentiful! (early May through late June)

• red currants: U-pick and pre-picked, virtually unlimited quantities! (mid June through early July)

• red raspberries: U-pick only (mid June to early July)

• blueberries: U-pick and pre-picked, virtually unlimited quantities (mid June through early July)

• black currants: U-pick and pre-picked, virtually unlimited quantities (late June through early July)

• blackberries: U-pick only, somewhat good quantities (late June through mid-July)

• peaches: pre-picked only, dependent on seasonal disease/insect pressure, limited quantities (late July through early August

• elderberries: U-pick only (early through late August)

• aronia berries: U-pick and pre-picked, native berry superfood, wholesale quantities also available. (mid-late August)

• pears and asian pears: pre-picked only for now, dependent on disease/insect pressure, limited quantities (mid-August through early October)

• pawpaws: pre-picked only, delicious native tree fruits, large quantities available (mid September through mid October)

• pears and asian pears: pre-picked only for now, dependent on disease/insect pressure, limited quantities (mid-August through early October)

• persimmons: pre-picked only, very sweet and late in the season in limited quantities (Oct through Nov)

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Produce:

• potatoes: usually several different kinds (early July through August)

• sweet potatoes: delicious and sweet (October through end of season)

• shiitake and oyster mushrooms: log-grown flushes (sporadically through spring and fall)

• wine cap and other foraged mushrooms (sporadically when available)

• perilla leaves: minty Asian leaf vegetable (mid July through end of season)

• tomatoes, peppers, eggplants: (late July through end of season)

• other veggies: lettuce, kale, chard, cucumbers, zucchini, summer squash, winter squash, okra (sporadically, seasonally)

• watermelons: hopefully! (late July through early Sep)

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Herbs (FREE U-pick):​

• garlic chives: all season-long

• rosemary: all season-long

• cilantro: spring and fall

• sage: all season-long

• mints: spearmint, pineapple mint, chocolate mint (almost all season-long)

• thyme: all season-long

• lemon balm: all season-long

• holy basil: late summer through fall

• chamomile: June

• perilla leaves: minty Asian leaf vegetable (mid July through end of season)

• other culinary herbs: basil, dill, parsley (sporadically)

• tea/medicinal herbs: catmint, anise hyssop, Korean hyssop, comfrey (most of the season)

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We also sell various berry plants, fruit trees, and other edible perennial plants in our nursery, which all Buyers Club members receive a 10% discount on.

Are you certified organic? What are your farming methods like?

 

We subscribe to the permaculture ethics of care for the Earth, care for the people, and fair share. So we use only regenerative, organic-approved methods, but we do not bother with the costly and burdensome organic certification process. Our customers are able to come directly to our farm and see for themselves the regenerative farming practices we use - without sprays of any kinds (including pesticides, herbicides, fungicides), chemical fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, or GMOs. Our farm makes use of crop rotations, beneficial insects, compost, cover crops, no/low-till, and other organic management practices. We also make a point of not using disposable black plastic mulch and only using natural mulches like straw, compost, and wood chips. If you are ever curious about any of the practices we use, ask us! We welcome the questions and curiosity.

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I heard that organic farms still use certain pesticides. Do you do this?

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It's true that many organic farms use natural pesticides allowed under the organic certification rules, but we do not use pesticides of any kind, even the ones approved for organic production. We have a completely no spray philosophy. We rely instead on a combination of birds, beneficial insects, and preventative measures to holistically manage pests in a natural way without using even organic-approved sprays. 

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Can I take my kids to see the lambs and chickens?

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Yes, absolutely! While you are here on pickup days, you are more than welcome to visit whatever animals we have around the farm, just give us a heads when you get here if you plan to do so and be aware that all fences around the chickens and sheep are almost always electrified so it's a "look, but don't touch" philosophy. We usually have lambs born on the farm in April and May every year!

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Is there a work commitment for this? Can I volunteer if I want to?

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Our buyer's club requires no work commitment. If you want to volunteer, let us know, as we can always use extra hands during the weekdays. But it is in no way required as part of membership.

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Any additional questions?

 

If you have any other questions about our Buyer's Club which are not addressed here, feel free to email us at hffbuyersclub@gmail.com