Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I sign up after the season begins?

A: Yes, you can order online and we'll issue a la carte credit for the week's you've missed.  If you want to begin picking up your shares on a given week, then you must sign up by midnight on Monday of that week.  Otherwise you'll need to wait a week to pickup.
The a la carte credit you'll receive will be the exact dollar value for the week's you missed.  So if you miss your produce during the early Spring or late Fall your "a la carte" credit may be less than the weekly average of $23.00 or $33.00.  If you miss during the Summer months, then your credit will be more than the weekly averages.  This makes it fair to everyone, so that those missing early or late in the season don't receive too much credit, and those missing during the summer don't receive too little.
If you don't want to sign-up for the entire season, then we can pro-rate your subscription based on the number of pick-ups that remain.  The pro-rated version of all shares is available to purchase via the online market. (Note: The 5% discount applies only to full season subscriptions.)

Q: Can I upgrade or downgrade or change my order during the season?

A: Yes, you can upgrade, downgrade, modify, interrupt, cancel, or begin your subscription(s) at anytime. No commitment is necessary. Just email office@horseandbuggyproduce.com with one week's notice, and we’ll take it from there.

Q: We have a scheduled vacation or other scheduled conflict that will prevent us from picking up our share this week. What should we do?

A: You have several choices.

• If you give us one week's notice, we can issue a la carte credit for the week(s) of produce missed.  We'll hold all your other share items at the warehouse until you return.  If your vacation is longer than just a few weeks, we can suspend your account for you, until you return and we'll issue a la carte credit for the weeks you miss.  Just email office@horseandbuggyproduce.com and we'll take care of it.
• You may ask a friend or family member to pick up your share for you and give them your share as a gift. (Tell them "Happy Birthday! or Merry Christmas!", and then you won't have to go shopping for them when that event occurs.)
• You may ask a friend or family member to pick up your share for you and have them hold it for you until you return.
• You may skip your share while you are away and double up one week either before you leave or after you return. By doubling up, we mean that you may come during the last 15 minutes of any drop spot (including your own) and get two shares OR you may come to your regular drop spot (at any time) and then come to a second drop spot that week (during the last five minutes) to receive a second share. If you miss several weeks, you can continue to double up to make up for those weeks (if you miss 3 weeks then you can double up for the next three weeks in a row to make up for it). Also if at anytime we run out of produce for your makeup share then let us know and you can choose items from the a la carte at an equal dollar amount!

Q: What do I do if I miss my pick-up and I didn't give you any notice?

A: You may always come to another drop spot to pick up your share that week or the following week to pick-up a make-up share, however, we ask that you come during the last 15 minutes of that drop spot's scheduled time to take a make-up share. We do this to ensure that folks coming to their regular drop spot (your make-up drop spot) get their complete share. We've never turned away a make-up person, because even if we run out of share items, we can substitute things from the a la carte table. In other words, we'll take care of you.

***If you receive any other shares (bread, granola, meats,etc.), please email office@horseandbuggyproduce.com to arrange pick-up.

Q: How do I cancel my subscription?

A: To cancel your subscription, please email us at office@horseandbuggyproduce.com. We require one week's notice of cancellation. We'll re-figure your invoice based on the weeks you actually picked up at the pro-rated price per week (not the 5% discounted rate you received when you signed up online) and deduct the payments you made and refund the difference. ***It's super important that you notify us if you no longer plan to come, so that we stop buying produce for you, otherwise you will continue to be charged for the remainder of the season.

Q: My friend picks up produce at a different location than I do and came home with different items in her share. Is this normal?

A: Yes, at the beginning and end of our season, this is likely to occur, as we are unable to procure some items in large enough quantities to ensure that the shares at every drop spot location contain the same items. We keep detailed records of what is distributed to each drop spot every week to ensure that there is a fair distribution of goods and to track the monetary value of the share delivered.

Q: May I purchase a gift certificate?

A: Yes, we have gift certificates available online or you can email us at office@horseandbuggyproduce.com to ask for one. They are available in any denomination.

Q: I have never cooked a "-fill in the blank-". Do you provide recipes?

A: Yes, to subscribe to our interactive recipe page, please go to Our Recipe Blog. You can view and comment on recipes posted by Horse & Buggy Produce staff or submit your own recipe to be posted. If you're looking for something to do with a certain ingredient, type that in the search field and relevant recipes will appear.

Q: What if I miss my singles share week, can I come pick-up the following week during a non-singles share week?

A: Yes, you can come during a non-single share week to make up your missed share, but you’ll need to come during the last 15 minutes of that pick-up location’s scheduled time. You do not need to contact us.

Q: Can I change my pickup location?

A: Yes, you can change your pickup location at anytime, but we’ll need one week’s notice in order to make the change. Please email us at office@horseandbuggyproduce.com.

Q: What if I’ll be out of town or I’ve missed my pick-up during a meat, bread and/or granola week?

A: We’d prefer that you give us prior notice if you’re going to miss a meat, bread and/or granola week so that we can keep your share at the warehouse. But either way your share will be kept or brought back to the warehouse and stored until the next meat, granola and/or bread week. If you want to pickup your share prior to that, please contact us at office@horseandbuggyproduce.com to setup a time to pick it up at our downtown warehouse location. All unclaimed meat will be subject to a $5.00 meat restocking fee per missed pickup, unless you’ve given us prior notice of your absence. This fee is to offset the cost of bringing the meat to the location and then bringing it back and storing it at our warehouse.

Q: Can I signup for just an egg share or just a meat share without signing up for a produce share? Also can I then purchase a la carte credit to go along with either my egg or meat share?

A: Yes and yes.

Q: Is your produce spray-free, organic or...?

A: Most of our growers (Mennonite or otherwise) are not certified organic, simply because the fees associated with certification are too high, and the paper work too time consuming, for the small amount of produce they grow in their gardens. However, our vegetables either receive no sprays at all, or only organic sprays. In rare instances, such as a severe insect infestation which hasn't responded to organic sprays, our farmers may use a zero-days-to-harvest synthetic spray, but they must inform us of this occurrence, and then we can choose to buy the produce or not. (We don't like the idea of them having to lose an entire crop, and the associated income, solely because we're unwilling to work with them in a tough situation). If we were to buy their produce, we'd inform you of the situation. This has happened rarely in our four years of business.

Fruits are the one thing that we cannot guarantee are either spray-free or exposed only to organic sprays, and the ones that will always be exposed to non-organic sprays are apples and peaches. (Our strawberries, cherries, melons, etc . . . are mostly spray-free, but it depends on the weather -- lots of rain means the need for a fungicide, and some of the time our farmers can use a sulfur-based, in other words, natural, fungicide. However, if it rains a lot, then they may have to use a synthetic fungicide. The reality is that fruit plus rain makes ROT!)

Please understand that we work constantly to bring all of our customers the best spray-free produce that is locally available, but we also must accept the realities of growing produce in hot, muggy, rainy, and buggy Central Virginia.

We hope this makes our goals, intentions, and practices clear and that you will join us this season, because the fact of the matter is, our produce is the best around, and most folks encounter far more toxins in their day to day activities (e.g., eating a pizza, drinking a soda or coffee, nibbling on a pastry, or ingesting any type of processed or non-organic food) than they would ever consume when eating our apples and peaches.

Q: Can I pay by check?

A: Yes we still take checks; Please email office@horseandbuggyproduce.com with your order details and pickup location and we will send you an invoice. **Please note that there is a $25 returned check fee.

Q: If I signed up online and made my first payment by credit/debit card, do I need to log back in and make my second payment?

A: No, once you sign up online and make your initial payment, the remaining payments will automatically be charged to your credit/debit card in 30-day increments.

Q: What if I want to use a different credit/debit card for my remaining payments?

A: You can log back into your account via the shopping cart and update your information, or you can email or call us prior to the due date of your next payment and we can change that for you.

Email: office@horseandbuggyproduce.com
Phone: 434-293-3832

Q. Is there any way I can donate my share to a charitable organization since I won’t be able to pick it up this week?

A.Yes, the Haven would be glad to get that fresh, local food into the hands people who otherwise couldn't afford it. Please call or email the office by Friday to donate your share.

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