By: Co+op

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 4-6

Avocados are the star of this colorful salad. With black beans and queso fresco, the salad is perfect for a side and has enough heft to serve as a light lunch.

Ingredients

• 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup slivered red onions
• 4 ounces queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 clove garlic, pressed
• 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large avocados, diced

Preparation

1. In a large bowl, combine the black beans, grape tomatoes, red onions and queso fresco. Toss to mix.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the garlic, lime juice, olive oil and salt and whisk to combine.
3. Add the diced avocado to the black bean mixture, then pour the lime juice mixture over it. Toss to mix and serve.

Serving Suggestion

Serve alongside tacos or atop a bed of lettuce with a side of tortilla chips

Nutritional Information

290 calories, 20 g. fat, 15 mg. cholesterol, 350 mg. sodium, 19 g. carbohydrate, 7 g. fiber, 9 g. Protein

Link: https://www.grocery.coop/recipes/avocado-and-black-bean-salad

The Rooted Carrot Co-op continues to find ways to build up the local food economy in the Cedar Valley. We are so fortunate to have many strong farmer’s markets opening very soon! What a great opportunity to meet the people growing and making things in our region and to support their efforts. But, not everyone who values local products attends farmer’s markets, and there may be local items that just aren’t available at the farmer’s market.  

To expand on our local markets and give people more opportunity to access local goods, the  membership team is working with WeArose to offer a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery in Cedar Falls. People who invest in a CSA support farmers by purchasing produce in advance and receiving in-season fresh produce each week. This provides important guaranteed capital and a consistent market for the farmer while building connections with customers. Click Here to read more!

The Rooted Carrot Co-op has also partnered with the Iowa Food Hub to manage a weekly delivery in Cedar Falls. This provides another access point for us all to access local, fresh products year round. Beyond building connections between producers and consumers, another goal of this partnership is that, as the food hub becomes more present in the Cedar Valley, more producers in our community may begin to sell their items through the Iowa Food Hub. As more markets open to offer local produce, we strengthen the local food economy and build a strong foundation for a locally-owned cooperative grocery store. Click Here to read more!

This is just a taste of what the Rooted Carrot Co-op board and committees are doing to build and support networks centered around local food access within our community. If you want to be an active part of this movement, email info@rootedcarrot.coop today! 

Lisa Nelson
Board President

We’re partnering with the Iowa Food Hub to bring their online farmers market to the Cedar Valley—with a weekly pick-up site at Hansen’s Dairy Store in Cedar Falls. 

Since 2012, Iowa Food Hub, based in Decorah, Iowa, has been connecting individuals, schools, colleges, restaurants, and grocery stores to healthy, locally grown food. Their year-round online market purchases from dozens of producers in Iowa and adjacent communities in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Even in the off-season, the market features 150+ items, including fresh and frozen vegetables, meat, flour, spices, tea, and more. As the growing season begins, many more items will be added. 

To keep our partnership with Hansen’s Dairy Store strong, we ask that you do not order the following items through the online hub:

• Dairy, Beef, Eggs, or Sourdough

Instead, please purchase these directly from Hansen’s when you arrive for pick-up. It’s a win-win for local business! Using the site-specific Cedar Falls Dropsite Market Storefront created within the Iowa Food Hub will help shoppers stay within these guidelines. 

How it works:

• Shop online Monday–Wednesday
• Pick up the following Monday at Hansen’s Dairy Store
• No minimum order, and no need to order every week

For specific details and to access the link for the Cedar Falls Dropsite Store, go to the Rooted Carrot Co-op/IFH partnership page.

Saturday, April 11, 2:00-3:00 at the Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective, 218 W. 4th St., Waterloo

Introduction to Bicycle Maintenance

Learn how to keep your bike running smoothly in this workshop that will cover the nuts and bolts of bicycle components, tips and tricks for cleaning, applying lube, and setting tire pressure, how to make small adjustments in brake and shifting performance, and the best tools and products to keep your bike in tip top shape. The instructor, Mark Stevenson, has over 30 years of bicycle maintenance experience and is sure to teach new and experienced cyclists something new! Bring your bike if you would like to apply these concepts specifically to your bike. Everyone should bring their questions!

As of this writing, there is still room for 6 more people and only 2 more bikes. If this session fills up, we will start a wait list and work to schedule another. Use this form to sign up!  Youth may attend if accompanied by an adult. 

Cedar Valley Bicycle Collective is a non-profit organization that builds community through bicycling. We increase access to affordable bicycles and bike safety by refurbishing used bicycles, providing education and advocacy, and hosting events and education. 

Thank you, Adam, from Iowa Worm Farm, for the great information on making and maintaining a Worm Bin Farm.

We now have 22 Worm Farms in a 5-gallon food-grade bucket, and 10 people learning about worms and composting.

Did you know you can reduce the amount of organic matter taken to the landfill? At our event, we learned how to turn food scraps into garden gold with the help of red wigglers. 30/40% of food is thrown away from home and grocery stores. You also use cardboard and paper in the bins. You can use the worm castings in your garden, house plants, and make a compost tea for your plants.

Adam has great knowledge, as we learned more about worm composting, vermicomposting, soil health, reducing waste, and sustainable living.

By: Co+op

Total Time: 20 minutes active, 25-40 minutes baking

Servings: 16 bars

The bright lemon flavor of these bars makes a great finish to a dinner of hearty Mediterranean dishes like pasta or ratatouille. Of course, they’re a delicious midday snack as well.

Ingredients

Crust

3/4 cup butter, cold and cut into small pieces

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

Sour cream topping (optional)

3/4 cup light sour cream

2 tablespoons sugar

Filling

4 large eggs

1 1/3 cups sugar

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon lemon zest, minced

3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (3-4 lemons)

Pinch of salt

Preparation

Continue reading→

The play runs April 24 – 26.

This play is a story set 22 years in the future in a laboratory where four amazing women are trying to keep the last remaining bees alive. In this world, there is no more almond milk, no moths, no lightning bugs, no strawberries. It’s a one-act show, so not too long. And a very heartfelt, funny, sad, wonderful story. 

CFCT is suspending sales of plastic water bottles during this show’s run. Black Hawk County Extension and Outreach will be in attendance with a table with free seeds and answers to questions after every show. 

Get tickets online at https://mycfct.ludus.com/index.php | 319-277-5283 | Box Office Mon-Fri 12-4PM.

Check out these links for Cedar Valley Events!

• Cedar Falls Public Library Calendar: https://cedarfallslibrary.org/programs-and-events/
• Waterloo Public Library Calendar: https://www.waterloopubliclibrary.org/events/month
• Hearst Center for the Arts | Cedar Falls | https://www.thehearst.org/events-programs-1
• Community Main Street | Cedar Falls | https://www.communitymainstreet.org/events
• Main Street Waterloo | https://www.mainstreetwaterloo.org/calendar
• Cedar Falls Tourism | https://www.cedarfallstourism.org/

Have you heard? We are partnering with We Arose to offer a summer CSA again this year! The deadline is April 30, 2026, so sign up TODAY to reserve your spot and help the farmers plan.

How does it work? You sign up. We gather a variety of locally grown and sourced goodies for you to pick up weekly or bi-weekly throughout the season, whatever works best for you!

Season: 20-week season from June 13 to October 24, 2026

Ordering Period: Deadline to order is April 30. Place your order at https://we-arose-rooted-carrot.square.site/

Distribution: CSA orders are ready for you to pick up on Wednesdays at ThreeHouse on College Street in Cedar Falls

Share options: 

• Full season: 20-week share – every week from mid June – Oct ($580)
• Half season: 10-week share – every other week from mid June – Oct ($300)

We Arose is a network of local food producers elevating urban farming cooperation by growing community and increasing access to local, affordable, healthy food options through education and outreach.

Questions? Email us at info@rootedcarrot.coop

ORDER NOW!

Life is like a jar of miso.

This month, I opened a jar that had been tucked away on a shelf in my basement for a full year — soybeans, rice, koji, and a whole lot of microbiology. The jar was from last year’s Rooted Carrot Miso Workshop led by Tomie Sasaki-Hesselink, the owner of Iowa Miso. We sampled over a dozen misos from different regions of Japan and I wondered if my first attempt would turn out. Lucky for me, I was only a small part of the recipe. 

Fermentation is patient work. Tiny microorganisms are at work, even though we can’t see them. They don’t rush. They trust the process. Over time, something extraordinary emerges.

The Rooted Carrot Co-op is a lot like that jar of miso!

Every month, volunteers on committees and the board are meeting. Partnerships are forming. Events are filling with neighbors who care about building something together.

Transformation is underway, even if you can’t always see it.

I joined Rooted Carrot the first week I moved to the Cedar Valley five years ago because I believe we need organizations like this that don’t shy away from the hard, sometimes grinding work of building community based on the values of shared ownership, local commitment, and creating a healthier future. After serving two years on the Membership Committee, I’m honored to now serve on the board with a group of people who keep showing up for this shared vision.

You can be part of this brew, too! Join us at an upcoming event our Membership Team is planning — from Worm Bin to Bike Maintenance classes. Each gathering is another reminder that this community is active, engaged, and growing.

Thank you for being part of the fermentation.

Kathryn Gilbery
Board Vice-President