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looking to get my hands on extremly good eggs, as fresh as possible, preferably from free range chickens, preferably on a regular basis. I live in Evanston, and work in skokie and mount prospect.


any suggestions?

same goes for chicken, too, by the way.....

Can't help you with eggs (other than the Farmer's market on Saturdays downtown, but that's done in a few weeks - or maybe Whole Paycheck) but Jerry's in Skokie carries Amish chickens, which I believe are free-range and which are tasty. Last time I went (quite a while ago) they were around $2.50/lb

Jerry's Quality Meats

3706 Dempster St
Skokie, IL 60076
(847) 677-9360

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Not sure whether you're close to Des Plaines or Niles, but Shop & Save Markets have organic eggs and Amish chickens.

Shop & Save Markets
229 Golf Mill Center, Niles, 847.803.6590
518 Metropolitan Way, Des Plaines, 847.227.5800
830 W Golf Rd, Schaumburg, 847.781.7000
http://www.shopandsavemarket.com

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New Leaf Natural Grocery in Rogers park is a pretty good produce and dairy store/ home delivery service. They have the freshest eggs you can find, all from local farmers.

New Leaf Natural Grocery
1261 W. Loyola Ave.
Chicago, IL 60626
773.743.0400

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Fuckerberg on Food

Irv & Shelly's Fresh Picks delivers to Evanston (and likely Skokie and Mount Prospect), and they always have fresh eggs and local, free range organic chicken.

I believe you can find them at both locations of Whole Foods Market in Evanston.

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

Depends what "them" means. You can find organic eggs from relatively local places (Organic Valley in WI for example) at WF. However, they are nowhere near as fresh and delicious as those you'd get from either Irv & Shelly's or your local farmer's market. Crack 'em open side by side and you'll see a dramatic difference in the bright orange color of the yolk. NB: sometimes older eggs are better - if you're hard-boiling, for example.

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Fuckerberg on Food

Absolutely, I made a big salad for dinner, six courses of pig no matter how perfect make even me want veg the next day, and the too fresh hard boiled eggs were a pain in the a** to peel.

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I do not recall seeing anyone selling eggs at the farmers markets in Evanston or in Skokie.

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

They sell them in Evanston; look for the stands with big coolers behind them, I don't recall specifically which ones. They often sell out early - I've only gotten them when I've been there at 9am.

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No guts, no glory.
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http://quipstravailsandbraisedoxtails.blogspot.com/

Just a point of clarification. Farmer's market eggs typically have a brighter, yellowish-orange color, while eggs from the supermarket tend to have a duller yellow color. The color difference is not an indicator of freshness, but of different diets. The farmer can alter the color of the yolk by adjusting what the chicken are fed.

This is true in a vacuum. However, bright yellow/ orange is indicative of a diet high in caretenoids, which usually comes from chickens raised on pasture. Grass is much higher in caretenoids than grain. So, while the color may not by itself indicate freshness, it does indicate that the chickens were raised by a caring farmer doing the right thing vs. a factory after nothing but profits. The former also happens to more likely be the kind of person who places a high priority on freshness.

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

That's correct. I wasn't sure from your earlier post how you were connecting freshness to color. Sorry for the confusion.

I know there are others, but I often see fresh eggs at the Green Acres stall at the Evanston Farmers' Market.

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No problem - your clarification point was helpful. I guess my thinly veiled opinion is really this: I have mild disdain for certain company's that tout "farm fresh," "free-range," and the like. A couple of these are widely available at places like WF (Phil's and Organic Valley, to name 2). I don't think these eggs are significantly better - in any meaningful way - than conventional supermarket eggs. Moreover, the mediocre quality combined with extra expense risks turning consumers away from right-raised eggs entirely. Real farm eggs - on the other hand - are absolutely delicious and easily worth the extra expense, imo.

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...defended from strong temptations to social ambition by a still stronger taste for tripe and onions." Screwtape in The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis

Fuckerberg on Food

+1

I get organic eggs now at whole foods, a few times a year I get really good farm eggs. what I am looking for is to get really spectacular eggs all year.

I'll try the above suggestions. thanks

You might also try True Nature Foods (while not in Evanston, they are about 10 blocks or so south of the border). I haven't been this year, but they (did) carry farm fresh eggs from Country Cottage Farm. I used to buy these eggs at the Green City Market and thought they were great. They aren't at the GCM anymore, but I think they are available at TNF.

True Nature Foods
http://www.truenaturefoods.com/
6034 North Broadway, Chicago, IL. 60660
t: 773-465-6400 / f: 773-465-4137
Sunday - Thursday...10am-7pm Friday........9am-9pm Saturday..........7am-7pm

Green City Market is going to have their farmers market all year round now, for the first time.

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"we must all understand that we're not all going to agree on everything, so let's just accept it -- hell, let's cherish it -- and move on." - ronnie_suburban

The Hungarian Kosher food store, located at 4020 W. Oakton in Skokie sells excellent kosher and organic kosher chickens.

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Harrisons Poultry in glenview. The very freshest eggs and chicken.

Hi- Henry at the Evanston farmer's market, has fresh eggs every Saturday. You have to get there early though. I think they might sell out by 8:00am.. I have not tried their eggs, but I have heard very favorable things from people that have tried them. Just the fact that they sell out so early every week, tells you that they must be good. I think they get them from a neighbor of theirs that also has organic meat. They sell the organic meat, including chicken there occasionally. I will warn you though, that the meat is not cheap. The farmer's market just
opened yesterday, 5/8. Unfortunately I was not able to make it there yesterday, but I plan on being there next week. Henry is one of my favorite growers there, and I am signed up for his newsletters, which his sister puts out every week during the market season.

I just checked the newsletter I just got Friday, and apparently the eggs and meat come from Wettsteins, and Henry is not selling the eggs for them like he used to. They are coming themselves, once or twice a month. They will not have chicken until June. If anybody wants to receive Henry's newsletter, the email address to sign up for it is
http://www.henrysfarm.com/

Kinnickinnick had eggs and they were amazingly rich yellow. I made marigold scrambled eggs for the kids.

Seems like Green City vendors have wised up and about half of them have eggs now, so you can almost always get them even fairly late in the morning.

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Hi- I was at the Evanston farmer's market Saturday for their opening day. I did not get there early enough, and all the asparagus was sold out. I don't think all of the asparagus growers came for the first week anyway. I just ended up getting a pound of portabellas from River Valley. I inquired at another stall from Michigan that was selling eggs how much they were, and I was told $5 a dozen. Is that the going rate for eggs there? These were not even organic. I admit that I am not a really big egg lover though, and so $5 for eggs that I might not use up, seems like a lot of money. The person selling the eggs was in the middle row, and he has blond hair. The farmers next to him, told me that he is Eddy, and he is from Benton Harbor. Thanks in advance, Nancy

Pretty sure C&D Farms' eggs are $5.00 as well, though they run sales and take .50 off sometimes. They did participate in the Evanston market during the winter. Not sure what they do in the summer in Evanston.

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We have done a meat share with Cedar Valley Sustainable Farms. Eggs are included in the share. During the summer they will often include two dozen in the monthly share. The eggs are wonderful, farm fresh eggs. The pickup is at Winestyles in downtown Evanston once a month on a Saturday. We have really enjoyed the shares we have received.