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

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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

Building community, connections, and understanding is vital to the co-op moving forward. Brews and FAQs is the perfect opportunity to connect, learn, and ask any questions you may have about the co-op. 

Member-owners are invited to come to Jesse’s Java House, 419 Main St, Cedar Falls, at 9:00 a.m. THIS SATURDAY, March 7, to enjoy your favorite brew (or any beverage of your choice, of course). Board members will be present to connect with fellow member-owners and answer any questions (FAQs) that may come up. Bring a friend! 

Join Iowa Worm Farm for a hands-on vermicomposting workshop! Learn how to turn food scraps into garden gold with the help of red wigglers. Each participant will build and take home a complete 5-gallon worm bin, perfect for indoor or garage use. We’ll cover bin design, feeding routines, troubleshooting, and seasonal tips. No experience necessary — just curiosity and a willingness to get your hands dirty! 

Here is Adam, with an invitation just for you! 

Saturday, March 28 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. at College Hill Lutheran Church, 2322 Olive Street, Cedar Falls.

Come just to hang out and learn, or to make a bin to use at home! Either way, please register at the Iowa Worm Farm website so that we can plan accordingly. Space is limited.

Please register by March 21 so that Adam has time to prepare. 

EXCITING NEWS! We’re partnering with the Iowa Food Hub to bring their online farmers market to the Cedar Valley—with a weekly pick-up site 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 now, in the dead of winter, the market features 150+ items, including fresh and frozen vegetables, meat, flour, spices, tea, and more.

Before we can launch this publicly, we need a smaller group of beta shoppers who are willing to use the online site and make purchases. Over the next few months, we will be working on developing and streamlining ordering and pickup logistics, acquiring supplies and equipment for the pickup site like refrigeration and shelving for orders, and building a volunteer base to assist with management and implementation of this project.

How it works:

• Shop online Monday–Wednesday
• Place orders by Wednesday at 5 PM
• Pick up the following Monday at our Cedar Valley site
• No minimum order, and no need to order every week
• Share your feedback by completing an occasional survey or participating in an Online Market Task Force meeting
• May include volunteering for a pick up shift or other project tasks, if interested

Sound like fun? Email us at info@rootedcarrot.coop to opt in to be a beta shopper or let us know if you have any questions.

A huge shoutout to our fantastic volunteers, Maggie and Marci! They represented us at the Cedar Falls Business and Professional Women – Salute to Women Event last Thursday, sharing exciting details about our co-op and upcoming events.

Thank you, ladies!

On Saturday, February 21, ten RCCM volunteers and friends worked a two-hour shift with other community members at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank.

It was a cold day outside and inside! We packed bulk sausage patties into 90 boxes totaling 1,296 pounds – enough to feed 1,080 people in the Cedar Valley. All together, we packed a total of 17,280 patties!

If you missed out but want to help, consider volunteering! Sign up here: https://www.neifb.org/get-involved/volunteer. They have shifts available throughout the week and on Saturdays. Let’s make a difference together!