Calling all past, present, and future Co-op Volunteers – join your Rooted Carrot Co-op for a volunteer appreciation celebration!

Volunteers ARE the Rooted Carrot Co-op!! 

Everyone who has invested time to bring the Rooted Carrot Co-op closer to opening is invited to a Volunteer Appreciation picnic at Washington Park in Cedar Falls. If you worked on a grant, helped set up the tent at a farmer’s market, dressed a Rooty, donated a door prize for the Fall Food Festival last fall, or any of the other many tasks that add up to this amazing cooperative, collective effort, YOU ARE APPRECIATED! Please come so we can all show it! 

When: Wednesday, August 12th, starting at 5:30 pm

Where: Washington Park Shelter, Cedar Falls (East end of 9th St, by the playground)

Who: Family and friends are welcome!

RSVP: Please RSVP by 5:00 pm Monday, August 10th using the link below

Dinner will be provided by the board, with vegetarian and gluten-free options available. Feel free to bring a special dish to share, if you wish, as well as a lawn chair.

Please RSVP at:  https://bit.ly/RCCMVolunteerAppreciation2026

Come join your co-op friends, including board members, to enjoy a cup of coffee, share ideas, and ask any questions you have about your co-op. 

We’ll gather at Jessie’s Java on August 15th at 9:00 am.

Hope to see you there!

What happens to the trash after it is picked up? How is Black Hawk County managing the waste that is collected at the county landfill? 

Many people attended the informational recycling event we hosted at UNI in 2024. There were many thoughtful questions, and John Foster, the Solid Waste & Resource Recovery Administrator at the Black Hawk County Solid Waste Management Commission, shared some important information. 

Join John on Saturday, August 22, from 10:00-11:00 am for a tour of the landfill to take the next step in learning about waste management in Black Hawk County! To plan for the size of our group, please RSVP HERE before Tuesday, August 18th. You will receive an email with specific information about the meeting place as the date approaches. 

7 Things I Learned Working on a Local Farm

Richard Ross, Board Member and Community Partner Coordinator

When I first started working at Paha, I thought I was signing up to help with a few chores, spend time outdoors, learn how cider is made, and see where local food comes from. What I didn’t expect was how much the farm would teach me about life. Here are seven lessons I took away from my time there.

1. Things Change

When I first arrived, the orchard was lush, bordering on overgrown. Fruit trees stretched into one another, brambles crowded the edges, and everything seemed full of possibility. By winter, the same landscape appeared empty and dormant. Leaves fall. Branches break. Working there taught me that change isn’t an interruption to the process. Change is the process.

2. Old Growth Must Be Shed Before New Growth Can Happen

Pruning always felt wrong at first. Why cut back healthy branches? But trees need light, airflow, and space to thrive. The healthiest thing for future growth is often removing what no longer serves a purpose. Renewal almost always begins with removal.

3. Death Is Part of Life

The first time I found a diseased chicken in the hen house, I panicked. After hours of Googling and phone calls, the owners got in touch and said, “Leave it be. It will either get better or it won’t.” Two days later, it hadn’t. 

More Googling. How do you ethically dispose of a dead chicken?

The owners called again and said, “Pick it up with a shovel and throw it in the field.” They said nature would take care of the rest. And it did. It felt harsh, but it was honest. Growth, decay, and renewal are all part of the same cycle.

4. Hard Work Pays Off

There is no substitute for hard work. A good harvest starts months before the fruit is picked. The work done in spring and summer shows up in the fall, if you’re lucky. Sometimes frost, drought, or hungry deer undo your efforts.

What I learned is that hard work must become an end in itself. If you only work when success is guaranteed, you’ll never begin. The value comes from showing up consistently, even when the outcome is uncertain.  Continue reading→

National Farmers Market Week 2026 takes place from August 2 to August 8, 2026, celebrating local food producers, community connections, and agricultural vendors across the United States.

Help us celebrate our Cedar Valley local farmers, producers, and artisans!

From our friends at Hansen’s Dairy

Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake time: 15 minutes
Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour*
• 1/2 tablespoon butter*
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 3 ounces cream cheese*
• 3 cups boneless chicken breast, chopped and cooked*
• 3/4 teaspoon cumin, divided
• 2 garlic cloves**
• 2 4.5-ounce cans green chiles, chopped
• 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and diced (optional if spicy isn’t your thing)
• 1 1/4 cups Mexican blend cheese, shredded
• 1 onion, diced**
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 8 soft tortillas, 6-inch
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1/4 cup low-fat plain yogurt*

*Available at Hansen’s Dairy stores
**Available seasonally at Hansen’s Dairy stores

Remember to Shop Local!

Link to Full Recipe: https://www.usdairy.com/recipes/easy-cheesy-chicken-enchiladas-with-yogurt-sauce

Check out all of the events in Downtown Waterloo this August!

Link: https://www.mainstreetwaterloo.org/calendar

We had a great conversation at Brews & FAQs on June 3rd. Thanks to all who came out to join in the fun!

SAVE the DATE for our next Brews & FAQs on August 22nd at 9:00 a.m. Watch social media and the August Garlic Press for specific location. 

Marian Kuper, Board Treasurer

When you think about a start-up food co-operative that doesn’t yet have a storefront, the Rooted Carrot Co-operative Market certainly comes to mind. We’ve been working toward our vision for many years – fourteen, if you count from the moment the idea was hatched. Twelve, if you count from our incorporation year (2014). Lots of hiccups along the way, too.

Think that’s a long time to work and strive toward a fabulous idea before it bears fruit?

Ever hear of Wasatch Food Co-operative in Utah?

Seventeen years ago, the Wasatch Food Co-op’s initial, tiny group of members got together in a neighborhood in Salt Lake City and started to dream. Optimism and a can-do spirit helped drive them forward, but hard work, grit, know-how and determination proved especially essential. It shepherded them through COVID, money woes and more than one plan that ran aground against unanticipated roadblocks. Discouragement often reigned.

But the group kept its nose to the grindstone and its eyes on the future. Sound familiar?Continue reading→

We will be at the Cedar Falls Farmers Market on Saturday, July 25 from 8:30 am to noon.

Stop by the booth to say hello and pick up a yard sign!