Green Grocer (check it out!)

I finally checked out the Green Grocer in Chicago's west town neighborhood.  This is definitely going to be my "go to" store once the farmers markets shut down (and a great store even while they're open).  The shop is small and the staff are extremely friendly and very knowledgeable about the products.  Some of the packaged goods are sort of a mini-Whole Foods or more akin to Olivia's Market in Bucktown, but here either organic or local.  Then there are some very unique packaged goods that are locally produced or just a bit more special than you might find elsewhere.  They have a pretty good cheese selection and a good amount of raw cheese.  Not as many blues as I might like but that's just me.  All of their meat is pastured and local -- no Argentinean grass fed beef here.  I know this from recognizing farms I am familiar with and otherwise from asking them.  Most is frozen as I expected but they did have fresh whole chickens from T.J.'s (which I mentioned in a previous post -- I've had their chicken legs, turkey legs and pork tenderloin and loved all of it).  Green Grocer has pastured chicken, lamb, pork and beef (and perhaps more that didn't catch my eye).  They also sell Blue Marble dairy which I hear is amazing (and I've seen them at the Green City Market).  I haven't brought myself to actually drink milk yet but if you do I recommend trying this, which they also have in chocolate (as well as yogurt products from Blue Marble).  Finally there's a good wine and beer selection for a shop of this size -- with much of the wine being organic and the beer being local and/or craft beer.  In short, I definitely recommend checking it out all year round, and consider it an indispensable resource for pastured meat in the spring, fall and winter.