Hi Allan
We joined Harvest Hosts for the first time last year and will be using it again on our next trip. We used it on three occasions. Two of the hosts were great experiences, one not so much.
Our first experience, the not so good one, was at a country store in the Okonogan valley of Washington State. The place where we were to park was on a slope and would have required a major levelling job and disconnecting the trailer. We gave up on the place.
Luckily there was another Host 30 minutes away who took us on short notice. We were camped in a peach orchard on the banks of the Columbia River. Next morning we bought a lovely breakfast and some take out quiche for lunch at their coffee shop/fruit stand.
Our second successful stop was Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese near Redding California
Pedrozo Dairy and Cheese Co This is a small family farm which milks about 20 cows and produces wonderful, unpasteurized cheese. The family gave us a tour of the dairy operation on the evening we arrived and a tour of the cheese operation next morning. We thoroughly enjoyed learning about their farm operation and getting an insight into the life of a farm family. We still have one wedge of their delicious cheese in the frig. We hope to go back on future trips.
It seems that 90% of Harvest Host operations are wineries. These are not a great interest of ours. But cideries, fruit stands, country stores, cheese, etc are. We are planning to go to a date operation near Death Valley later this spring.
So to conclude, I think HarvestHost is a good organization. You soon recover the annual cost of membership if you use it a few times a year. And it connects you with people in a unique and meaningful way.