Frequently Asked Questions

Share Sizes and Membership Costs

Extended Season Share ($45/week)

You can now sign up for 32 weeks (combined summer & winter seasons) of delicious certified organic veggies, fruit, flowers & eggs. That’s nearly 3/4 of the year! Full & Single CSA share sizes are all available for the Extended Season. CSA members who support the farm for the entire season receive a discounted share price compared to joining for the separate Summer & Winter seasons.

Egg Share (starting at +$4.50/week)

Add any size egg share to your Summer CSA share and the eggs will be delivered weekly with your vegetables.

Flower Bouquet Share (starting at +$18/week)

For 20 weeks you will receive a beautiful bouquet of seasonal flowers. Each bouquet is uniquely crafted & contains a wide assortment of the ornamental cut flowers we grow on the farm. Everyone knows flowers make you smile! Flower CSA shares are delivered each week along with veggie CSA shares.

Home Delivery (+$8/week)

Delivery will be available to members living within the Stadium, I-70, and Old Highway 63 circle. If more than one member lives on the same or neighboring streets, delivery fees may be reduced by up to half. Please contact FarmHer Liz directly if you are interested in this CSA option.

Extra-Work Share Discount

For those members interested in joining the CSA and playing a more active role in the daily workings of the farm, you may opt to work 4 – 4 hour Farm Work shifts and 4 – 2.5 hour Distribution shifts for $150 off the original share price. Farm Work shifts take place Wednesday mornings 8-noon during the 32 week CSA season. Please contact FarmHer Liz directly if you are interested in this CSA option.

Reduced Rate Share

Reduced rate shares provide the opportunity for anyone interested in joining the CSA to be a member. We recognize that everyone’s financial circumstances are different. And we are committed to providing the opportunity for everyone to have equal access to delicious healthy produce and the CSA community. Thanks to generous donations from fellow CSA members in support of this program, Reduced Rate CSA Shares (in the amount of $100 per CSA Share) are now available for anyone that would like to join the CSA. Please contact FarmHer Liz directly if you are interested in this CSA option.

Partner Shares Membership

As a member of the Fair Shares CSA Coalition, Happy Hollow Farm is excited to be able to offer this reduced rate CSA membership option. This program is based on a sliding scale and requires your active participation in determining how much assistance you will receive toward the purchase of your weekly veggie share and membership in Happy Hollow Farm’s CSA. Partner Share Members will work directly with the Fair Shares CSA Coalition as far as making payments. Please contact FarmHer Liz directly if you are interested in this CSA option.

Summer Season

Full Share, Summer Only ($48/week)

This amount of produce is suitable for a single family which regularly eats a lot of vegetables and cooks at least 4-5 meals at home per week. Also appropriate for two households who do not eat a lot of vegetables and may want to split the vegetables in each week’s box.

Single Share, Summer Only ($35/week)

We recommend this share to most people that are new to joining a CSA. This share will receive 4-6 different items each week and is an amount of produce suitable for a single person who cooks 3-4 days a week or folks that are new to seasonal vegetable eating.

Farmers Market Share, Summer Only ($700)

For those members committed to supporting Happy Hollow Farm but who prefer to choose your veggies every week, this option is for you! During the 24 week Summer CSA season this share allows members to “shop” from our stall on Saturday mornings at the Columbia Farmers Market.

Winter Season

Full Share, Winter Only ($50/week)

This size share typically contains 6-8 different vegetables and a total volume of about one paper grocery bag.

Single Share, Winter Only ($40/week)

This size share is tailored to a single person or a couple that eats at home 3-4 nights a week. This size share typically contains 4-6 different items.

About Community Supported Agriculture

What is Community Supported Agriculture (CSA)?

Community-supported agriculture farms began in the early 1960s in Germany, Switzerland, and Japan as a response to concerns about food safety and the urbanization of agricultural land. Groups of consumers and farmers in Europe formed cooperative partnerships to fund farming and pay the true costs of ecologically sound and socially equitable agriculture. Joining a CSA is a shared commitment between the consumer and the farmer providing some certainty to the farmer in the way of a secure market for our produce in the fickle world we know as farming.

What is Happy Hollow Farm Community Supported Agriculture?

Happy Hollow Farm’s CSA is comprised of individuals who play a significant role in supporting local sustainable certified organic agriculture. As the farmer, I offer a certain number of “shares” to the local community. Interested consumers purchase a share (aka a “membership” or a “subscription”) and in return receive a box of seasonal local USDA certified organic produce each week throughout the farming season. The farmer and the consumer thus provide mutual support and share in the risks and wonderful rewards of local food production.

Families and individuals who join Happy Hollow Farm CSA will receive a share of produce every week during the growing season (roughly early-May thru the end of December). In exchange, members sign a contract for the season, agree to pay in advance, agreeing to be the farm’s customer for the entire season. Members will also help with some of the work of harvesting and distribution of the weekly boxes. Both partners share in the risks and genuine rewards of small-scale farming: weather, insect damage, and bumper crops.

About Your CSA Membership

How consistent are the boxes?

I try to distribute all of the produce each week as evenly as possible to all of our members. As the produce is harvested and washed it is separated by size. This allows me to balance the quantity of all the vegetables going into each share. For example, two small heads of lettuce will be included in a share instead of one large head of lettuce.

Where do I pick up my CSA Share?

CSA Distribution for the 2022 Winter Season:

Wednesday’s 11am – 4pm home deliveries
Wednesday 10:30am – 12:00pm at a CSA members house near downtown Columbia (near the Columbia Country Club).
Wednesday 4:30pm – 6:00pm at a CSA members house on the south side of Columbia (near Clovers at Forum/Chapel Hill).
Saturday 9am – 11:00am at the MU Health Care Pavilion Clary Shy Agriculture Park, home of the Columbia Farmers Market, corner of Ash & Clinkscales.

How does sharing a box work?

For those shareholders that feel a full share of produce is too much food for them, you are welcome to initiate splitting a box with a friend or neighbor. This responsibility is entirely up to you, however, to determine who you are splitting the box with and how you will split up the produce. I will send weekly newsletters to both shareholders and keep the contact information of both shareholders involved in the box splitting. I would strongly recommend that one shareholder pick up the share each week and then at one of the shareholder’s homes the division of the box actually occur. This will eliminate any potential confusion at the pick-up site. Unfortunately, I cannot help with linking two potential shareholders for a box sharing. I have enough in managing the farm to keep track of.

What if I can't pick up my share?

If you cannot pick up a scheduled delivery, you have three options:
1. Have a friend pick it up for you (the best option!)
2. Contact FarmHer Liz 3 days in advance to reschedule for the other pick-up day of the same week. If you usually pick up Saturday, you would pick up the Wednesday before, and if you pick up on Wednesday you would pick up the following Saturday. This change means you go to a different distribution site and is limited to three times per season per membership.
3. Lose your share for that week. We cannot hold produce over until the next week.
*** Please note ***
I understand that you may be disappointed if you forget or something comes up and you are unable to pick up your CSA share. However, without one day prior notification to FarmHer Liz, it is not possible to “hold over” your veggies for longer than the allocated pick up time. Any un-picked up CSA shares will be distributed at the discretion of the site host and are not replaceable or refundable.

What if I'm interested in your CSA, but live outside of your delivery range?

Unfortunately I do not currently offer any other delivery services other than to the official drop off sites within Columbia city limits. This is a symptom of my belief in providing healthy, fresh and local produce to my community. I am very happy to offer on-farm pick up for shareholders that live within close proximity to the farm. Please make a note of your wish to arrange for on-farm pick-up on your CSA sign-up form.

How do I learn to eat the CSA way?

Patience my apprentice… It’s a marathon, not a sprint to the finish line. CSA membership takes time to see results. I have members that say that only after their 3rd year as a member have they learned to consistently use the contents of each week’s CSA box. This means you will waste some food on the front end as you move thru the learning curve. Come into this experience with an adventurous spirit and go easy on yourself if you fail to eat the entire box every week. It’s hard to do, especially as a rookie member of the team. There will be many weeks that you have every intention of being a “super chef” and make every effort to maximize your CSA experience. But then real life sets in and you will find yourself slicing tomatoes and slapping them on a piece of bread with some mayonnaise. Realize that if CSA membership is your goal, it takes time to learn the skill sets. (Don’t worry, I will teach them to you). Set realistic goals the first year, and work your way into it. Also realize that in this journey to kitchen mastery, you’re going to waste some food, especially in the first learning year. My goal as your farmer, is to introduce you to a new paradigm of eating and enjoying the seasonal bounty of veggies that we can grow here in mid-MO throughout the entire growing season!

How can I be assured the vegetables will be of good quality?

The quality of your vegetables is determined by a variety of factors. At the farm, I go to great lengths to optimize the variables that are controllable. Almost everything delivered in the boxes is harvested within 24 hours of you receiving the boxes. I harvest as early in the day as possible and immediately bring the vegetables into the shaded washing area. Those vegetables that respond best to a cold-water bath are then washed and moved into coolers for storage. There are a few crops such as onions and potatoes, which will store longer if not rinsed.
Once your veggies are delivered it is up to you to continue preserving their quality. To keep your produce as fresh as possible, pick up as early as you can on your delivery day. I use cedar crates covered with wet burlap sacks, which help hold the cool moist temperatures of the produce, however, the delivery site does not have refrigeration, so the sooner you pick up the better. During the heat of the summer the freshness and quality of your produce can quickly go down hill so once you get home store your various vegetables properly.

Despite my every effort there will sometimes be crops that do not do well due to weather, pests, etc. If there are certain crops which do not do well they will not be included in your shares and I will make sure to let you know in the newsletter.

In no way do I feel it acceptable to put less than the highest quality produce in your share. Try as hard as I may you might receive something that you are not happy with. If you are not satisfied with the quality of the produce you have received than please contact me and I will make every effort to rectify the situation.

What if I don't like a specific vegetable?

This is one of the beauties of joining a CSA. The wide variety of produce you will receive throughout the season provide you with the opportunity to try things you may not be familiar with. The very seasonality of growing vegetables in mid-Missouri assures you that if there are some things you don’t like, no worries, you won’t get them for too many weeks. Try new recipes or give those things to other CSA members, friends or neighbors.

How do I prepare my produce?

Members receive an abundance and diversity of vegetables throughout the growing season. You should be ready to regularly prepare vegetables and to occasionally eat something unfamiliar. We work hard to help members prepare and enjoy their produce:

Our weekly newsletters include useful cooking suggestions and tasty, practical recipes.
On our website you can search past newsletters for recipes using a variety of different vegetables.
Download our Vegetable Preservation Chart.
For help with planning meals, members can choose to receive the weekly newsletter via email forecasting the vegetables which will be in their box each week.
From Asparagus To Zucchini Cookbook
This cookbook published and distributed by the Madison Area Community Supported Agriculture Coalition (MACSAC). Contact Happy Hollow Farm if you are interested in purchasing a copy of this cookbook. For $20 it will be a great resource for any member or veggie loving person that is excited to try new and different ways of preparing your produce!

Working/Visiting the Farm

What are Farm Work Shifts & what will I do?

Farm Work Shifts – Each shift is 4 hours each (8 AM – Noon) for a total of 4 hours.

Farm Work Shifts are every Wednesday 8-noon during the 32 Week CSA Season. If two people sign up for the same shift day/time then that fulfills your two Farm Work Shift requirements. A Google Calendar is used to coordinate members signing up for their Farm Work & Distribution Work Shifts.

CSA members interested in playing a more integral role in the farm may fulfill Farm & Distribution work shifts for $150 discount off their CSA share price. Work may include; harvesting produce from the fields, washing, packing boxes, and assisting with other farm chores as time permits. Harvesting takes place in any and all weather.

Work on the farm can be dirty, sweaty, hot, wet and a few days a year absolutely perfect. Because of these conditions it is necessary to bring and/or wear: close toed shoes, hats, sunscreen, gloves, possibly rain gear (jacket, pants, boots), plenty of water and a smile.

The Extra Work Share option is for those members interested in playing a more integral role in the weekly food that they and fellow members are eating. This option allows you to deduct $150 from your CSA membership. The Extra Work Share requirement is 2 – 4 hour On Farm Shifts & 4 – 2.5 hour Distribution Shifts.

A note about children: I highly encourage parents to bring their children to the farm. However, a work shift cannot be satisfied by anyone under the age of 12 years old. Children under 12 years of age must be supervised by an adult at all times and this cannot be the person who is satisfying the work requirement. This is a working farm and could potentially be dangerous to unsupervised young ones.

What do I need to bring along for my Farm Work Shift?

Wear durable clothing that you don’t mind getting wet or dirty.
Bring two to three pairs of shoes: one pair of sturdy work boots or shoes, rubber boots for early morning dew or rainy conditions and one pair of comfortable shoes to change into once your shift is complete.
Wear layers of clothing and plan ahead for inclement weather.
Bring a rain coat (and pants if you have them) for washing vegetables or for the days when harvesting must happen in the rain.
Don’t forget sunscreen and a hat (that will stay on in the wind)… These are absolute musts.
Bring work gloves if you prefer to wear them or your hands are prone to blisters.
Absolutely don’t forget a water bottle! I have wonderful well water if you run out of your own.

What and when are Distribution Shifts?

9:00am – 11:00am Saturday at the Columbia Farmers Market, Clary-Shy Agriculture Park

CSA members interested in playing a more integral role in the farm may fulfill 4 -2.5 hour Distribution Work Shifts for $150 discount off their CSA share price. During the course of the 32 week season you will sign up to assist with distributing boxes and answering potential questions that members may have.

Distribution Site Duties

Help unload and set up the share boxes
Do not take a box yourself unless it is your regularly scheduled distribution day
Greet each member as they arrive

Complete The Checklist

Check off member’s name once they pick up their box
Use the provided checklist to verify member is picking up a single, partial, or full share
Place a check by any member’s name who does NOT return a box from the previous week
Store returned boxes and burlap sacks
Stack boxes in an out-of-the way place
Lay the burlap sacks flat in a stack to dry
Place burlap sacks on top of boxes before leaving the site
Call members who have not arrived 15 minutes prior to the end of the distribution shift to verify whether they’re coming. If they are not coming leave a note or notify the drop site host so they can take care of the extra share?

Is the farm dangerous? Is it safe for children?

The farm has many hazards for adults and children. Please observe all safety guidelines and instructions given to you by FarmHer Liz and/or the farm crew during your work shift.

I highly encourage you to bring children to the farm. However, in my experience small children tend to lose interest in farm tasks rather quickly, and the attention span for farm work of 10-14 year olds is variable.
Children under 12 must be supervised by an adult at all times. This should not be the person performing the work shift.
Children may not enter any of the farm buildings (barn, greenhouse, coolers, packing areas, etc. unless supervised by an adult at all times. Hazards include moving equipment, sharp tools, and supplies such as fertilizers, oil, gas, etc. are common around the farm.
Do not touch or climb on any farm vehicles (tractors, mowers, wagons, etc.) or stand in between vehicles attached to wagons or implements.
Many farm tools are very sharp. You may only handle farm tools after you have been properly instructed how to do so by the farmer.
Listen to your body and resist the urge to overexert yourself. If you are feeling poorly, please tell the farmer immediately.