A Chicagoan’s Guide to Clean Grocery Shopping

When it comes to buying groceries, most of us are stuck in the same old routine. Out of convenience we pop in to whatever chain store is closest. We forget that Chicago is in the Midwest, the heartland, farm capital of the US, and we forget that there are so many great options for getting quality fresh food. I’ve compiled a list of specialty stores in the Chicagoland area that are worth the extra trip. Some locations even offered special coupon codes and discounts.

MEAT/EGGS
Green City Farmer’s Market
http://www.greencitymarket.org/
Peggy Notebaert Museum (Indoors – November through April)
2430 N. Cannon Dr.
Saturdays: 8 am–1 pm

Lincoln Park (Outdoors – May through October)
N. Clark St & N. Lincoln Ave
Wednesdays and Saturdays: 7 am–1 pm

Finn’s Ranch – Green City Farmer’s Market
http://finnsranch.com/about-us/
Specialty: Naturally fed beef, pork, poultry, and eggs

Jake’s Country Meats – Green City Farmer’s Market
http://www.jakescountrymeats.com/
Specialty: Sustainably raised pork, chicken, beef, and fish

Mint Creek Farm – Green City Farmer’s Market
http://mintcreekfarm.com/
Specialty: Grass-fed meats raised on certified organic prairie pastures including lamb, beef, pork, and goat
PROMO: organic-grassed meat CSA shares $50-100 off with annual membership

Publican Quality Meats
825 W. Fulton Market Street
http://www.publicanqualitymeats.com/welcome#about
Specialty: Whole animal butcher shop with an emphasis on quality, sourcing from local/organic farms and credited suppliers

Green Grocer
1402 W. Grand
https://greengrocerchicago.com
Specialty: Organically grown and locally sourced foods. Offers a bi-weekly bulk meat purchasing program featuring sustainably/pasture raised, hormone and antibiotic-free meats

Weekly Specials:
Mon: 25% off all produce
Tues: Free $10 gift card when you spend $50
Wed: 25% off frozen meat
Thurs: 50% off a second bottle of wine
Fri: 25% off all prepared foods

Local Foods
1427 W Willow St #1
http://localfoods.com/
Specialty: All cuts of meat, locally sourced, locally processed or sustainably produced

Specials:
Every Tuesday if you spend $100 you can get a $25 gift card to use next time
Every Wednesday we have Wine Wednesday that is 25% off all wines and $5 glasses at the cafe
Every 2nd Wednesday  of the month we have Vegetable Vednesday that is 30% off all our produce
Every 3rd Tuesday of the month we have Tomato Tuesday featuring our MightyVine tomatoes throughout the store. We have discounts on all tomatoes sold in store. $1 off tomato soup at the cafe and grab and go, and $1 off butcher made bolognese and chili
This month (and usually every month) on the last Tuesday of the month we have $5 pork chop day from the butcher shop

BlackWing Organic Meats
https://www.blackwing.com/
Specialty: Complete line of organic proteins including beef, chicken, ostrich, pork, turkey and buffalo

All Grass Farms
18N681 IL Route 31
Dundee, IL  60118
http://www.allgrassfarms.com/
Specialty: 100 percent grass-fed beef, raw Guernsey milk, free-range broiler chickens and eggs, turkeys, and pasture-raised pork available in bulk quantities

FISH
Fahlstrom’s Fresh Fish
2070 N. Clybourn
http://www.fahlstromsfreshfish.com/
Specialty: 16–18 types of fresh fish daily

Dirk’s Fish
2070 N. Clybourn
http://www.dirksfish.com/
Specialty: Fresh fish and sustainable seafood

Wixter Market
2110 W. Division St
http://www.wixtermarket.com/
Specialty: Large variety of fresh and tinned seafood
PROMO: 20% off of first-time salmon purchase – mention this post for discount

Sitka Salmon Shares
109 South Cherry St
Galesburg, IL 61401
http://sitkasalmonshares.com/
Specialty: A variety of fish “shares” comprised of wild Alaskan fish delivered monthly to your door during the season. They also sell fresh, seasonal fish by the pound at the Logan Square Indoor and Outdoor farmer’s markets
COUPON: Use discount code CSF17 and for $25 off a share

Produce
Local Farmer’s Markets – Year Round

Green City Market – Lincoln Park
*see above for locations/hours*
http://www.greencitymarket.org/

Logan Square
(Indoors – November through March)
2755 North Milwaukee Avenue
http://logansquarefarmersmarket.org/
Sundays:  10 am–3 pm

(Outdoors – April through October)
along Logan Blvd. between Milwaukee and Whipple
Sundays: 10 am–3 pm

Local Farmer’s Markets – Seasonal

Andersonville
(May – October)
1500 Berwyn Ave
http://www.andersonville.org/eco-andersonville/eco-andersonville-events/andersonvillefarmers-market/
Wednesdays: 3 pm–8 pm

Lincoln Square
(June – October)
Lincoln & Leland Avenues
http://www.lincolnsquare.org/farmers-market
Thursdays: 4 pm–8 pm

Edgewater
(Second Weekend in June – Mid October)
Broadway Armory Parking Lot
https://www.edgewater.org/programs-and-events/farmers-market/
Saturdays: 8 am–1 pm

Stanley’s Fresh Fruits & Vegetables
1558 N. Elston Ave
http://stanleysfruitmarket.com/
Specialty: Seasonal fruits and vegetables (organic options) at some of the lowest prices in the city

Harvestime Foods (Edgewater Produce is their other, smaller store)
2632 W. Lawrence
http://www.harvestimefoods.com/
Specialty: Large variety of fruits and vegetables (organic options) and other organic products at affordable prices

Irv & Shelly’s Fresh Picks
5625 Howard St
https://www.freshpicks.com/
Specialty: Home delivery of local and organic produce, meats, dairy, eggs and more. Dedicated to green sustainable agriculture and farms
COUPON: Enjoy $10 off your first order by entering the code “FARMTODOOR” in the exclusions box of the Account Dashboard page

If you don’t have time to visit your local farmer’s market, another time-saving option is to buy a seasonal CSA (community supported agriculture) share. Here is a good article that features five local CSAs: http://redtri.com/chicago/farm-fresh-5-csas-to-try-now/#

Misc
River Valley Farmer’s Table
1820 W. Wilson Ave
http://rvrvalley.com/rvr-farmers-table/
Specialty: Fresh Mushrooms grown with organic practices, clean hot sauces, salsas and pasta sauces
(Full Disclosure: I work for River Valley Ranch. Even though I am clearly biased, I eat jars of this stuff every week.)

Dill Pickle Coop
3039 W. Fullerton
http://dillpickle.coop/about/
Specialty: Local and healthy products including meat, produce, and sauces

Amish Healthy Foods
1025 N. Western Ave
http://amishhealthyfoods.com/
Specialty: Non-GMO and organic products, produced with traditional technology