One of the guiding values of the Rooted Carrot Co-op is “Local Commitment: We strengthen our community’s economy and quality of life by investing in local producers, area businesses, civic engagement, and our employees.” 

Let’s join together in Cedar Falls’ City-Wide Clean-Up! 

When: Thursday, April 17 at 5:15

Where: Gateway Park, on the corner of Lincoln & N. Main St.

What: Work together to clean up the area

Bring: Gloves, any tools you might find helpful… and a friend!

The Membership Team will pick up bags from the city and arrange disposal. We hope to see you there!! Many hands make light work (and it’s more fun, too)!

Wow, there is a lot of food system news since our last newsletter—even just a month ago! Here’s a quick recap of what’s happening across Iowa:

• Federal Funding Cuts: Critical programs like Local Food for Schools (LFS) and Local Food Purchasing Assistance (LFPA) have lost federal support. That means Iowa farms will be getting $11 million less than they had planned for, making it tougher to bring fresh, local food to our schools and communities.

• Frozen Funds: Some federal funds remain frozen, putting certain farms’ projects at a stand-still and further straining their ability to innovate.

• Advocacy for State Support: In response, advocates are pushing hard for state funding of the Choose Iowa Purchasing Program. This investment is key to keeping fresh, local food flowing to schools, food banks, and families.

Your support as a consumer is vital—backing local food initiatives means keeping Iowa farms strong and ensuring our communities have access to nutritious, affordable food. Make a commitment today to shop and eat locally. Our food farms depend on it! Find a Cedar Valley farmer here.

Mallory DeVries, Board Member & Communications Committee; local producer

The Rooted Carrot Co-op Membership Committee is seeking member-owner input!

You will receive an email with details about WeArose and a potential partnership with WeArose to deliver CSA shares for Rooted Carrot Member/Owners. Please take the time to read the information and complete the very brief survey. This will let the committee gauge the level of interest in this opportunity so they can respond accordingly. 

THANK YOU SO MUCH for participating.

The Rooted Carrot Co-op continues to grow! We now have 1210 member-owners. Will you be the 1211th? Join today at: https://rootedcarrot.coop/join-today/

The communication committee participated in a tabling event to share information about RCCM at the Cedar Falls BPW event. They will be attending a health fair event at Aldrich Elementary. Thank you to our volunteers for helping with these events. 

Board members attend a monthly Peer Review call with other Co-ops in the same stage of development as we are. We will have several members attending Professional Development seminars in March and April. 

If you have expertise in finance or grants, we are looking for additional members to join our finance and grant committees. Please contact us at info@rootedcarrot.coop. This is another way for you to be an active member of our co-op process. 

Mindy Doyle, Board Member

By: Co+op

Honey and mustard combine to make a tangy, sticky glaze for these chicken thighs. You’ll brown the thighs in batches on the stovetop before covering them with a warm sauce to bake to tender perfection.

Roast new potatoes at the same time for a crowd-pleasing meal.

Ingredients

• 12 chicken thighs, bone-in, skin on
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons whole-grain mustard
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 large shallot, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Have a large roasting pan or 9-by-13-inch baking pan ready. Place the chicken in a large bowl, sprinkle it with salt and pepper, and toss it to mix.
2. In a medium bowl, combine the honey, mustards, and Worcestershire sauce, stir to mix, and reserve.
3. Place a large saute pan over medium-high heat and heat for a minute, then drizzle with oil. Arrange the chicken pieces in the pan and brown for 2 to 3 minutes per side — you’ll have to do this in batches. Use tongs to transfer the chicken to the baking pan.
4. Add the shallots to the pan juices and stir. Reduce to low heat. Stir until the shallots are softened and the browned bits have loosened. Pour in the honey mixture and stir just until hot.
5. Pour the honey mixture over the chicken and turn to coat. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn the pieces and bake for 15 minutes longer until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the meat reads 165 F.
6. Transfer the chicken to a platter and keep warm. Scrape the contents of the baking pan into a small pot, place over high heat, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to boil without boiling over, and cook, stirring frequently, until the juices have thickened to a pourable sauce, about 4 minutes.
7. Pour the juices over the chicken, sprinkle with parsley, and serve.

Serving Suggestion: Serve with roasted new potatoes and a green salad or slaw.

Nutritional Information

340 calories, 22 g. fat, 105 mg. cholesterol, 390 mg. sodium, 16 g. carbohydrate, 0 g. fiber, 22 g. protein

Rooted Carrot had 12 people volunteer at the Northeast Iowa Food Bank on April 22.

We put bulk Cheerios into 1lb bags and packed almost four pallets for a total of 1200 lbs! While part of the crew scoped and bagged, others put boxes together, and others put labels on the bags. We worked alongside two other volunteer groups from Ferguson Distribution Center and St Edwards Church. What a great day fulfilling our Co-op Principle #7 – Concern for Community!

If you are interested in helping out at the Food Bank, please contact them at 319.235.0507.

We want to stay in touch with you!

CFU has announced that they will be ending their email service in 2025. If you currently use @CFU for email, please update your email address by clicking the “update subscription preferences” link at the bottom of this email OR email us at info@rootedcarrot.coop with your new email address to ensure delivery of the Garlic Press and other important email communications.

Updated information available at: cfu.net/email

Account Holders with Last Names

A-G: Email service ending July 1, 2025

H-N: Email service ending September 1, 2025

O-Z: Email service ending November 1, 2025.

Thank you for helping us keep you informed about the co-op!

The Membership & Communication Team works to keep the Rooted Carrot Co-op present and engaged at events throughout the community.

Volunteers shared information and enthusiasm at the UNI Student Wellness Fair last month, and will be at the Cedar Falls Business and Professional Women’s Salute to Women this week, and at the Aldrich Elementary School Wellness Fair in April.

If you know of any other events related to health, wellness, or food, who may be seeking vendors, please let us know! info@rootedcarrot.coop

The Board and Site Committee members have been meeting with Sarah, a Business Consultant with Columinate on updating our Proforma. The proforma will assess financial feasibility and is a financial model that includes the co-op’s estimated operating budgets for the first 10 years, along with balance sheet, cash flow and debt service schedule. Committee members have tweaked the proforma over the last several years but the Board agreed it was time to bring in a consultant again. 

If you have an expertise in finance or grants, we are looking for additional members to join our finance and grant committees. Please reach out to us at info@rootedcarrot.coop.

Jodie Huegerich, 

President, Board of Directors

Last month, the city of Cedar Falls requested input from citizens through a ‘Charting Tomorrow’ community survey. Thank you to all of you who voiced your opinions, especially those who included the Rooted Carrot Co-op Market as an important part of your future vision for Cedar Falls!