What is a Farm Share?

Nutritious vegetables grown on our farm for you to enjoy. That’s it! Farm Shares mean you don’t have to rush to Farmers Market before everything is picked over or spend more time and money at the grocery store. Once you purchase a share, your vegetables from June to November are covered - with no fear of inflation creeping in, the price you paid is locked in. Every week, your vegetables are freshly picked, packed up, and delivered to you at home or at a pickup site.

You may have heard of the term “CSA” that stands for “Community Supported Agriculture”, our Farm Share is similar. We just want it to be clear that you “share” in the success of our farm.

What does it mean that your Farm Shares are “custom choice” or “customizable”?

Custom choice means you are in control of what you receive every week. Traditionally with CSAs, the farmer has had control over what they send to customers. But we’ve found that getting to choose your own vegetables is the best way to encourage more enjoyment of the food you receive in a share.

The custom choice process is super easy. We grow 40+ types of vegetables. Then each week we upload what we have available to our customization software. Our members have three days to login and check if they want “this” or “that”. The software gives us a list of exactly what you chose and we pack them up for you!

If you want vegetables that are familiar, you can choose just those! If you want to spice things up and try something new one week, you can do that too! And did you know, we are the ONLY custom-choice Farm Share in South Dakota?!

What vegetables can I expect in a Share?

The beauty of signing up for a Farm Share is that you get to enjoy all the seasons have to offer. In the spring you can enjoy tender greens and roots like beets and radishes. In summer, you’ll receive classic garden veggies like tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini. And in fall, you can expect plenty of potatoes, winter squash, and roots.

Since vegetables come ready at different points in the season, you can expect a different lineup of vegetables just about every week. And if there is a vegetable you don’t like, our shares are custom choice so you can make sure your share is full of the vegetables you love!

Why do I need to sign up for a Farm Share before I actually receive my vegetables?

It may seem strange to buy your vegetables ahead of time, but it’s a remarkably efficient way to buy your food. The benefit for our members is that they’re ensured that they have a reliable supply of vegetables at a price that’s already been locked in place (we don’t change our prices mid-season).

For us, it helps us to plan how much we need to grow. It informs how many seeds we start, how much compost we need for the soil, and how much labor to plan for during the season. Purchasing a share before the season also helps us with our cash flow as most farm inputs are purchased in the spring and allows us to focus on marketing when we’re not as busy with field work. Then when we can finally start working outside, our vegetables are spoken for and we can give them our full attention!

We’ve been filling up spots all spring but still have spots available! We do ask that people sign up for shares before April 30. After that point, our plans are set in place and harder to change.

What if I’ll be gone on vacation during the summer?

Not a problem. Our Farm Share is set up so that you’re given a weekly set of credits. If you’re gone for a week, you can put your share on “hold” but those credits don’t leave your account. You can use the credits at a later time to add more vegetables to any share during the season.

Another option is you can choose to donate your share. We donate the value of your share in produce to the Falls Community Health Clinic or Feeding South Dakota.

How many people do the different sizes of shares feed?

In our experience, it depends on how often you try to incorporate vegetables into your diet. A Small share will feed a single person or a couple who doesn't eat too many vegetables. A Standard share will feed 2 - 5 people such as a couple who loves vegetables or a family of four who is trying to get better at including vegetables into their food, a Standard share is also satisfactory. A Large share is for people who have vegetables as a main element in their diet or for larger families. 

What kind of member events do you offer?

We love having people come out to our farm and believe that as our Farm Share member, you have a stake in the farm so we want you out here! We try to get our Farm Share members out to the farm in various ways.

In 2023, we had a:

Farm Share Member Potluck in June, a Cooking Class Adventure in July, a Pesto Party in August, a Harvest Party in October, and a Winter Cooking Class in December.

In 2024, we will be having similar (but different) events to encourage our Farm Share members to come out to the farm. All of our Farm Share member events are free and included in the cost of your share.

We also grow pumpkins, beans, and peas that our Farm Share members can U Pick. When the crops are ready, we’ll email you and you can come out with your family to pick them to get a taste (literally!) of the farm life!

In addition to events, we send out a member newsletter every week during the Farm Share with cooking tips and recipes and an update from the farm!

How are Farm Shares delivered?

You can select from one of our six pickup sites. Or you can opt for home delivery, delivered right to your door for an extra $5/week.

How do I sign up for a Farm Share?

You can click this link to our online store! Then you’ll choose which size of share and how you want it delivered (either pickup or home delivery). As you’re purchasing the share, you’ll be asked to create an account, this is so you can log in and customize your weekly share. Then you’re all signed up!

Does Blue Sky Vegetable Co. have Terms and Conditions for their Farm Share?

Yes! We highly encourage any potential (or continuing) members of our Farm Share to read through our Terms and Conditions of our Farm Share. While we don’t want to bore you with technical details, we do want our members to be on the same page as us in regards to expectations, committments, and details regarding share holds or cancellations. You can read them here: Terms and Conditions.