Right now I have maple bacon from him cooking in the kitchen - smells nummy so far. :) He goes to the Antioch, Grayslake, and Crystal Lake farmers markets if you want to pick up some of his products (pork, chicken, beef, cage-free eggs). I asked if he does bulk orders (1/2 beef, 1/4 beef, etc.) and he says only if he has enough at the end of the season - and this season has been really good, so probably not. He's an easy choice for a la carte grass-fed meat.
This is where I bought my last bunch of beef from - they deliver one Saturday a month to a pick-up location in Wauconda. I think I spent around $400 last October for two things (the big sampler and then a big box of ground beef) and I still have a bunch left if you would like to try some before you buy. I've done the pork, chicken, and beef from them. I will say that I find grass-fed pork to taste a little more, well, PORKY than I'm used to having from The Grocery Store. :) It took a little getting used to!
815-943-4488 - Jones Packing Co.
The last time we ordered a half-beef, they were processed here - and Farmer Nick (the first Nick, not the second) has his meats processed here as well. The supplier I used to use isn't available, but you/we could call there and ask them for a recommendation for a supplier. It's a bit of a drive (out in Harvard) but it's a pretty one. :) They were very, very helpful in cutting everything exactly the way I wanted it - less fatty ground beef, thickness of steaks, etc.
Anything you typically buy that's organic, health-food-supplement, etc. can be purchased directly from this supplier - it's where a lot of local health food stores get their products and then mark it up for the consumer. The one I'm in is in Johnsburg - there's no minimum order, no requirement to order a certain number of times, etc.
If you REALLY want local (but with low availability on pork), try Sam Yeiter. He is the pastor at the church that is just south of Caboose Park in Lake Villa and I get all of my eggs from him. They are more expensive than farmers market eggs (he charges $5/dozen, where most FM eggs I see going for $4), but I view it as my investment in him and his family. :) (I know them from our homeschool co-op.) If you've never tried a local, cage-free egg.....OH MY GOODNESS. The color of the yolk is a vivid orange and the taste is soooooooo much better than what you can get at the store - even the cage-free eggs (Egglands BEst, etc.). YUM YUM YUM!
Oh, and if you want to try bison meat (!) there is a supplier at the Antioch FArmers Market - we're going to try bison burgers! *laugh*
For produce, there is also Stade's:
http://www.stadesfarmandmarket.com/home.phpOnce the produce season really gets rolling (right now their availability is strawberries, rhubarb, maybe asparagus still, local honey...) the sweet corn is AMAZING. I try to get all of my summer produce there.
One more - http://oberweis.com/web/homedelivery.asp
YOu can buy products at their stores (Gurnee, McHenry, Lake Zurich, and others) - we buy all of our milk and ice cream from them and it is SOOOOOOOOOOO good. YOu can get home delivery if you want a wider range of products; I find that the retail stores don't carry everything that you can get from them. I've not tried home delivery yet but I might once all our traveling is done. I also use their milk to make my crockpot yogurt. They also have a Mooola card where you get $5 in credit for every $100 in purchases.
I loved that book! It totally changed the way I view my food.
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