Produce and Egg Shares

Support Sustainable Agriculture with Produce and Egg Shares

Update: Farm Memberships are sold out for 2024. We will open up signups for 2025 shares in October – please check back then.

 

Why Should I Sign Up For A Farm Membership?

A Farm Membership, which is our version of a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) program and includes a weekly or biweekly grocery bag of vegetables, is the best way to get a taste of your local urban farm and receive the best the farm has to offer. It is also the very best way to commit to healthy eating and supporting a local sustainable farm. Unlike other local CSAs that aggregate products from many different farms located 100 miles away or more, our Farm Membership up until this year featured produce that was 100% sustainably grown right here on our 2.5-acre farm in Skokie. You will be able to see where your produce is growing and talk to the people who grow it. This year, we will source produce and fruit (less than 5% of the total share) from like-minded partner farms to supplement your shares with the type of items we are not likely to grow on a small-scale basis.

Every week or every other week between June and October, you will receive a bountiful share of the finest seasonal fruits and vegetables we grow. A share will contain around 7-8 different items each week. Shares are harvested and packed each week, usually within hours of pickup. We offer several different share options to accommodate your lifestyle and eating habits. In addition, Farm Memberships include a myriad of other benefits, such as a 20% discount at our farmers markets and annual Seedling Sales, a 10% discount on Talking Farm event tickets, a reusable TTF-branded grocery bag, farm tours, and a weekly newsletter with recipes and tips on how to use your vegetables.

Everything we produce is grown using sustainable growing practices, so you know it is safe, clean, and grown with respect for our environment. Perhaps most importantly, your share helps to support an agricultural teaching not-for-profit in your community, and every Farm Membership includes a tax-deductible donation to The Talking Farm. 

What’s New for 2024

  • New pickup site! Skokie Farmers Market, Sundays from 7:30a-12:30p
  • Biweekly shares for smaller households of 1-2 persons
  • Annual full-season farm shares that include discounts off the regular 10-week sessions
  • Shares will include some supplementation of fruit and standard vegetables not typically grown on a small-scale basis (such as corn and asparagus) sourced from like-minded partner-farms
  • Ability to customize by swapping out the things you don’t want for greater quantities of what you do like 
  • Opportunities to purchase add-on products
  • More egg share options so you can get just as many eggs you need

Farm Memberships

With Farm memberships, our highest-level membership, your support of The Talking Farm includes a share of Skokie-grown vegetables along with a host of other benefits and a tax-deductible donation to The Talking Farm. Depending on the type of Farm Membership, you will receive a grocery bag of produce that you pick up weekly or biweekly at one of our pickup sites during designated pick-up days and times. 

2024 Membership Options

Full Farm Season (Weekly) – SOLD OUT

  • 20 weeks from June 12/13 through October 23/24
  • Up to (4) vacation holds taken throughout 20-week session as double shares 
  • Includes $25 discount off (2) 10-week shares 
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce).
  • The full bounty of the farm season from early spring to fall, including early season greens, salad mixes, radishes, turnips, spinach, and cabbage, transitioning to mid-summer crops like summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, melons, and tomatoes, then finishing with early fall crops like tender greens, winter squash, cabbage, spinach, and root vegetables (supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus and corn).

Full Farm Season (Biweekly) – SOLD OUT

  • 10 weeks from June 12/13 through October 23/24
  • Up to (2) vacation holds taken throughout 20-week session as double shares (no holds on off weeks)
  • $20 discount off (2) 10-week biweekly shares 
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce)
  • The full bounty of the farm season from early spring to fall, including early season greens, salad mixes, radishes, turnips, spinach, and cabbage, transitioning to mid-summer crops like summer squash, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, melons, and tomatoes, then finishing with early fall crops like tender greens, winter squash, cabbage, spinach, and root vegetables (supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus and corn). *Note: As some crops have a short harvesting season, biweekly shares may miss some crops on off-weeks. To avoid disappointment, consider subscribing to the Full Season (weekly) share.  

Farm 1 (Weekly) – SOLD OUT 

  • 10 weeks from June 12/13 to August 14/15 (every week)
  • Up to (2) vacation holds taken throughout the 10-week session as double shares
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce)
  • Includes the bounty of late spring and early summer, including greens, salad mixes, radishes, turnips, spinach, and cabbage, and moving into mid-summer crops like summer squash, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes, supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus, and corn (depending on what is in season at the time).

Farm 1 (Biweekly) – SOLD OUT

  • 5 weeks between June 12/13 and August 14/15 (every other week)
  • One (1) vacation hold taken throughout the 10-week session as double share (no holds on off weeks)
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce)
  • Includes the bounty of late spring and early summer, including greens, salad mixes, radishes, turnips, spinach, and cabbage, and moving into mid-summer crops like summer squash, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes, supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus, and corn (depending on what is in season at the time). *Note: As some crops have a short harvesting season, biweekly shares may miss some crops on off-weeks. To avoid disappointment, consider subscribing to the Farm 1 (weekly) share.  

Farm 2 (Weekly) – $375 – SOLD OUT

  • 10 weeks from August 21/22 to October 23/24 (every week)
  • Up to (2) vacation holds taken throughout the 10-week session as double shares
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce)
  • Includes the bounty of late summer and early fall, starting with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, round, heirloom tomatoes, and melons, then transitioning to tender greens, salad mixes, hearty greens, winter squash, cabbage, spinach, and root vegetables, supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus, and corn (depending on what is in season at the time).

Farm 2 (Biweekly) – $250 – SOLD OUT

  • 5 weeks between August 21/22 and October 23/24 (every other week)
  • One (1) vacation hold taken throughout the 10-week session as double share (no holds on off weeks)
  • About 8 different items per week in varying quantities – approximately one paper shopping bag (some weeks your bag will be fuller than others depending upon the part of the season and the size of the produce)
  • Includes the bounty of late summer and early fall, starting with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplant, peppers, round, heirloom tomatoes, and melons, then transitioning to tender greens, salad mixes, hearty greens, winter squash, cabbage, spinach, and root vegetables, supplemented occasionally by partner-farmer crops such as fruit, asparagus, and corn (depending on what is in season at the time). *Note: As some crops have a short harvesting season, biweekly shares may miss some crops on off-weeks. To avoid disappointment, consider subscribing to the Farm 2 (weekly) share.  

Pickup Sites/Days/Hours

Howard Street Farm (3669 Howard St., Skokie)

  • Wednesdays 5-7p
  • Thursdays 8:00a – 10a (*change from last year!)

Market style pickup 

Andersonville Farmers Market (Catalpa Ave. between Clark St. & Ashland Ave., Chicago)

  • Wednesdays 3-7p (at TTF’s market stand)

Prepacked bags with some options to exchange vegetables

Three Tarts Bakery & Cafe (301 N Happ Rd, Northfield – off the I94 Willow Rd exit)

  • Wednesdays 10a-6p

Prepacked bags with some options with swap bin

Skokie Farmers Market (5127 Oakton St., Skokie)

  • Sundays 7:30a-12:30p (at TTF’s market stand)

Prepacked bags with some options to exchange vegetables

Additional pickup sites may be announced as the season progresses. 

Additional Farm Membership Benefits

  • Free Talking Farm branded market bag for your produce
  • 20% discount at our farmers’ market stands 
  • 20% discount on seedlings during our annual Spring seedling sales
  • 10% discount on Talking Farm event tickets
  • Weekly newsletter with recipes and tips on using your produce
  • Farm tours

Egg Shares

We are partnering with Finn’s Ranch to offer weekly shares of farm-fresh, free-range eggs. Each egg share gives you a dozen eggs per week or every other week and runs concurrently with our Farm shares. 

Finn’s Ranch is a family farm based in Buchanan, a small town in southwestern Michigan. Finn’s Ranch’s “Happy Chicken Eggs” are from free-range, pasture-raised chickens that feed on grubs they get from outside as well as non-GMO feed, providing tasty, sustainably-raised eggs.

Pick-up is at the same locations and times as our Farm memberships.  

Full Farm Season (Weekly) – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 20 weeks (every week) between June to October

Full Farm Season (Biweekly) – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 10 weeks (every other week) between June to October 

Egg 1 (Weekly) – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 10 weeks (every week) between June to August
  • Runs concurrently with Farm 1 (weekly)

Egg 1 (Biweekly) – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 5 weeks (every other week) between June and August
  • Runs concurrently with Farm 1 (biweekly)

Egg 2 (Weekly) – $70 – CLOSED FOR SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 10 weeks (every week) between August to October
  • Runs concurrently with Farm 2 (weekly)

Egg 2 (Biweekly) – $35 – CLOSED FOR THE SEASON

  • One (1) dozen eggs for 5 weeks (every other week) between August and October
  • Runs concurrently with Farm 2 (biweekly)

Crop List

*subject to change due to weather or growing conditions 

  • arugula
  • bagged salad mixes (mesclun, ovation, baby kale)
  • spinach
  • green & purple cabbage
  • Napa cabbage, bok choy & Asian greens
  • kohlrabi
  • microgreens
  • garlic, onions, scallions and leeks
  • greens (2-3 types of kale, swiss chard, collard greens)
  • chives and herbs
  • radishes (2 types)
  • beets (2-3 types)
  • carrots (2-3 types)
  • Japanese turnips
  • summer squash (2-3 types)
  • cucumbers (2-3 types)
  • head lettuce (2-3 types)
  • cherry, Roma, and heirloom tomatoes (various types)
  • winter squash (2-3 types)
  • Italian and Asian eggplant
  • sweet peppers (2-3 types)
  • hot peppers
  • melons

What is a CSA? 

CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. By joining a farm’s CSA, you become a member, or a shareholder, in what the farm produces each season. As opposed to buying produce from a grocery store chain, which is transactional (i.e., you pay the posted price at checkout and immediately receive produce in return with little information about the produce you just purchased), traditional CSAs front the farm’s costs for the incoming season while they are not producing anything, and in return, the farm agrees to cultivate the farm to provide you, the CSA member, with a bounty of the farm for the season as well as transparency in its farming practices. Unlike “modern” CSAs that source or aggregate produce from a variety of producers in the region, The Talking Farm’s Farm Membership program trends towards a traditional CSA in which members take advantage of a substantial portion of the farm’s production in return for their membership fee. Purchasing a Farm Membership ensures you gain access to high-quality, fresh, hyper-local produce at an affordable price. It is also a gratifying way to sustain and support a community non-profit urban farm that uses innovative and sustainable practices while educating our community about the environment, agriculture, biodiversity, permaculture, horticulture, gardening, and social justice and health issues.