The 2024 Fall Food Festival was a popular event for the whole community! About 150 people of all ages came together to sample local foods, learn from local producers, and celebrate Iowa Local Food Day! So many people expressed their appreciation for the return of this event, and judging from the smiles and positive comments, it will be back again in the future! 

A huge thank you to the Membership & Communications Committee who spearheaded the event, board members and volunteers who helped make it happen, and UNI Local Food which helped connect us with vendors. It definitely took a team, and this one was just great!

Thanks also to the vendors who spent their time with us, sharing their passion for their products: Country View Dairy, Englebrecht Farm, The Real Artistic Farmer, JR Greens LLC, Hockey’s Smokehouse, thinkwell. Coffee, We Arose, Petit Green Giants, UNI Local Food, Varda Farm, Iowa Miso, Marks Angus Farm, Ooh La La Crêpes, and BBQ Brazil. 

We enjoyed music from Addison Payne and Matthew Bancroft-Smithe, and door prize donations from Blueridge Orchard, Ooh La La Crêpes, MKKrafts, Woolly Bear Works, lahiccup, and several members added even more to the event. And, of course, Rooty the Rooted Carrot joined the fun as well. 

On Wednesday, September 25th, we hosted our annual member-owner meeting, and we were pleased to see about 25 members in attendance.

Agenda Highlights:

• Board Elections & Meet the Candidates: We discussed upcoming elections and recognized Kate Dunning, Theresa Westbrock, and Ben Scholl for their dedicated service. We have four vacant spots, with three open for member-owner voting, including Lisa Nelson, who is running for re-election. One spot will be appointed by the Board.
• Financial Update: Treasurer Allie Hartz provided an update on the co-op’s financials, keeping members informed of our fiscal progress.
• Site Update: Kate Dunning shared the extensive work the Site Committee has undertaken, including evaluating six potential sites from downtown Cedar Falls to University Ave. We are examining a mix of land, building ownership, and tenancy options and have been actively engaged with the city’s parking consultants and resilience planning to prioritize local economy development. Additionally, the committee is exploring city-owned properties and attending council meetings to keep the co-op’s needs at the forefront of decision-making.
• Community Relations Committee: The Community Relations team has been working closely with the Site Committee to drive our “Don’t Wait, Cooperate” campaign, which aims to foster strong relationships with city council members to push the Rooted Carrot Co-Op Market project forward.

If you could not attend and would like to review the presentation slides, please email us at info@rootedcarrot.coop.

If you’ve been wanting to become a Member-Owner of the Rooted Carrot Co-op Market and the cost is a financial burden for you at this time, please know we offer scholarships for you. Applications for 2024 are being accepted through the end of October! Apply here: https://rootedcarrot.coop/scholarship-member-share-application/

As the weather cools and the leaves turn, there’s no better time to embrace the rich flavors of fall. Eating locally grown, seasonal produce not only supports our hard working farmers, but also ensures you’re getting the freshest ingredients packed with nutrients.

From sweet potatoes and squash to apples and kale, fall produce brings a world of cozy, comforting meals to your table. Whether you’re roasting root vegetables, whipping up a hearty soup, or baking an apple crisp, you can create delicious meals that highlight the best of the season.

Looking for inspiration? Check out our Seasonal Fall Recipe Database for some incredible recipes that feature the best of what fall has to offer. You’ll find ideas for every meal, all designed to help you enjoy local, nutrient-packed foods while supporting our community’s farmers.

Happy cooking and happy fall!

Bring all of your friends to celebrate Iowa Local Food Day at the 2024 Fall Food Fest!

We are excited to be bringing back the Rooted Carrot Co-op Fall Food Fest this year! Past Fall Food Fests have attracted 250-300 people to learn about local foods & products, and meet the people who are working hard to grow and produce them. 

The 2024 Fall Food Fest will be held on Iowa Local Food Day, Wednesday, September 25 from 6:30-8:00 p.m. at the Cedar Falls Community Center, adjacent to the Cedar Falls Public Library. 

It will be a free, family-friendly event open to the community. 

There will be:

• Children’s activities!
• Live music! Addison Payne and Mathew Bancroft Smithe will play from their repertoire of American string band music
• Door prizes!
• Photo booth!

Food Trucks:

• Ooh la la Crêpes will have sweet crepes with Fall fillings & GF options starting at 6:00.
• BBQ Brazil will have delicious Brazilian American menu items

Vendors will have samples and items available for purchase, including:

• Country View Dairy with chocolate milk and frozen yogurt 
• Iowa Miso with miso on veggies
• Hockey’s Smokehouse with seasoning blends
• Thinkwell Coffee 
• UNI Local Food Program with an informational table
• JR Greens
• Petit Green Giants
• Varda Farms & Apiary
• Mark’s Angus Beef

And more surprises are being planned! Stay tuned to the Fall Food Festival Event Page on Facebook for updated information. 

We have room for a few more vendors. Do you own a small business with local products that you would like to promote and educate the community about? Please contact us at info@rootedcarrot.coop. We are accepting vendors until we have reached capacity. The sooner you register to become a vendor, the more we can promote your business and your participation in the event! 

Do you have a vision and a passion for building and advancing a cooperatively-owned local business?

Do you want to be part of the team that helps to bring a unique grocery store stocked with locally-produced products to Cedar Falls?

Do you want to help make decisions regarding the store site, store design, and hiring of the general manager?

If you answered yes to these questions, we think you’d be an excellent Board Member!

The Co-op Board consists of nine Members elected by the general Membership. Board terms are three years. Responsibilities and expectations for those serving on the Rooted Carrot’s Board of Directors are outlined in the Candidate Application Packet. Click here for the Board Application Packet.

We have a great group of dedicated board members who enjoy working together and bring a variety of expertise to the board. Currently, we meet once a month on the third Wednesday, either online or in-person at the Community Main Street Office. 

Applications will be accepted until midnight September 17th. Board Elections will be held from September 25th – October 9th, and results will be announced after October 16th. 

We look forward to meeting you! 

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to us via info@rootedcarrot.coop and we will be happy to assist you.

Plan to attend our annual meeting to get an update on finances, community relations, site, and our new strategic communication plan! 

Please join us on September 25, 2024 from 5-5:30 pm at the Community Main Street Office (310 E. 4th St.; Cedar Falls). You won’t want to miss this!

If you can attend and stay to help our vendors set up for the Fall Festival, please email us at info@rootedcarrot.coop. Many hands make light work! Help make our event successful! 

Two key volunteers of the Rooted Carrot Co-op will be road-tripping to Kalamazoo, MI for this year’s Up & Coming Food Co-op Conference. AND they received a scholarship from Food Co-op Initiative to help offset the cost. 

Up & Coming is a national, annual conference for those working to open new food co-ops and those leading food co-ops recently opened where we can learn from experts and peers. 

This annual conference is organized by the Food Co-op Initiative, a non-profit with the mission to partner with communities to build a more just food system, providing critical support as they organize and open community-owned grocery stores. Their expertise and support has been instrumental in guiding Rooted Carrot Co-op leaders through the years. 

John Guerra, Director of Retail & Store Development with National Co+op Grocers who will be one of many presenters at Up & Coming 2024, says this about the conference:

“Up and Coming really shines as an integral part of the community movement to take control of the food we eat. I’m always excited to learn more about how startups are meeting the challenges of the day, and more importantly to meet the people leading their communities. I always come out energized to resume taking on the challenges we face every day!”

Rooted Carrot is committed to values including Local Commitment and Sustainability. The Cedar Valley region has hard-working local producers and farmers that help grow our economy, feed us, and do it sustainably. Many of those producers are also Rooted Carrot member-owners! 

Pat Beck: Beck Orchards

Local Food Listings | Cedar Valley Regional Food & Farm Network (cvfoodfarmnetwork.org)

Mallory DeVries: Woodside Acres

Gourmet Chicken Farm – Woodside Acres | Charles City, IA

Mark and Theresa Westbrock: Solstice Farm and Paha Cider 

https://www.solsticefarm.net/

Paha Cider | Handcrafted Iowa Cider

Lindsay Kaiser: Kaiser Farm Fresh

Kaiser Farm Fresh | Facebook

Eric Jensen: Yellow Table Farm

https://www.facebook.com/yellowtablefarm/

Wendy Johnson: Joia Food and Fiber Farm

 https://www.joiafoodfarm.com/

Continue reading→

Across Iowa, a powerful local foods movement is taking root, with local food becoming a priority in decision-making at all levels. Investments are being made to help small, local, and diverse farms thrive, and we’re excited to see how these developments are shaping communities across the state.

Here is a great example! Sustainable Iowa Land Trust (SILT) has received a $1.8M USDA grant to increase land access for underrepresented farmers. SILT will be expanding their 

“Circle Our Cities” Campaign to protect farmland in Waterloo and partnering with We Arose. The founder of We Arose is Daquan Campbell (member-owner of the Rooted Carrot.) Land access is the number one obstacle for beginning farmers. Iowa land costs 20 times more than it did 20 years ago. This grant will help farmers navigate financial assistance programs and tackle the increasingly high cost of land. Read more here: https://silt.org/sustainable-iowa-land-trust-receives-1-8m-usda-grant/

Here in the Cedar Valley, we’ve been on a 10-year journey to establish a local food store, and our enthusiasm is as strong as ever. We believe that the momentum of this growing local food movement will give us the final push we need to bring the Rooted Carrot Co-Op Market to life.

Our board is working hard to ensure that Cedar Valley doesn’t miss out on these incredible opportunities. We’re committed to making sure our community benefits from these exciting developments, and we’re grateful for your continued support as we move closer to making this vision a reality. Don’t miss our annual member-owner meeting on September 25th (see calendar of events) for more details to learn how you can get involved! Submit your application to become a Rooted Carrot Board member! 

Mallory DeVries, Board Member & Communications Committee; local producer 

Jodie Huegerich, Board Member & Board President, UNI Local Food Program Manager