This month’s column will be brief. Like most of you, my life has been changed dramatically as a result of the coronavirus. And the changes keeps coming. How will things be different for us a month from now? Two months? No one knows.

I recognize that this pandemic is threatening people’s lives and well-being. And, yet, in the midst of all of this, we still look for those glimmers of hope for our future. Sifting through the daily stream of news and social media outlets, you should easily be able to identify a common theme that I believe provides a ray of hope: We are in this together.

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The UNI Local Food Program with Black Hawk County Public Health and other community partners are working on the Black Hawk County Community Food Assessment.

Take this survey in less than 5 minutes. Complete by March 24th for a chance to win a $25 gift card from Walmart!

St. Patrick’s Day is always celebrated with boiled corned beef and cabbage, but I could never eat it. So over the years, I have done the traditional foods of the day in different ways. Corned beef became roasted. Instead of boiled cabbage it became coleslaw. Traditional boiled potatoes turned into a variety of options. One of my favorites is grilled lemon and chive potatoes. You can grill them alongside your corned beef.Continue reading→

What are some reasons a person might want to buy their meat from a local farm?

One reason is they might want to know how the animals were raised, and the best way to know how they were raised is to know your farmer. There are a couple of reasons people might care about how the meat was raised. One is a kindness issue. Some people care about the animals’ quality of life. Although filming inside large animal feeding operations is often against the law, there is plenty of information available that give people reason to be concerned about the possible suffering of farm animals. Some people just have a gut level aversion to the idea of animals living and dying in overcrowded, inside-only living conditions. And they do not want their money to support that. Continue reading→

All are welcome to join us on Monday, March 16 from 6 – 8 p.m. at Second State Brewing in downtown Cedar Falls for a Green Food potluck in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. So get creative and bring a dish to share containing green food. And if you don’t have time/energy to cook, just grab something to go at a food store – the most important thing is your presence! Please be sure to label your dish with the ingredients for those with specific food allergies or other food needs. We also encourage you to bring your own tableware if possible to help reduce landfill waste.Continue reading→

This book is likely familiar to everyone. It’s been around for over 65 years:

The recognized hero in the Dr. Seuss classic Horton Hears a Who is, of course, Horton the elephant. With his incredible hearing ability, Horton is able to identify an entire planet of people, Whoville, living on a speck of dust and he then begins an adventure in protecting the Whos against the other animals in the jungle. But another hero of the children’s book is a much different character. What does this hero have to do with you Co-op? Stay tuned…Continue reading→

Back by popular demand, our next potluck is on Tuesday, February 25. Since this date is also Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday), what better way to celebrate than with food! Join us for a special Mardi Gras theme as we beat the winter cold in the cozy space of Second State Brewing from 5:45 – 7:45 p.m.Continue reading→

As February commences, I’ve had time to gather statistics and reflect upon this past year of your Co-op and what a productive year it’s been! As with any business, there are highlights and challenges and I’ve provided my take on these below. While there is still much to be done, with everyone’s support and contributions, our goals are attainable. I’m grateful to all who have joined this journey.

– Melanie Drake, Outreach Coordinator

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With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, enjoy this sweet treat with a loved one! Recipe from Sweet Simple Vegan.Continue reading→

By Jane Markowitz

My partner, Max, and I moved to Cedar Falls in August from NYC. We didn’t know a soul in the entire state of Iowa and our first week moving here, we explored downtown Cedar Falls and stumbled upon the Saturday farmer’s market. While wandering around and checking out different stalls we encountered the Co-op booth. We were informed about an opportunity to volunteer at a local farm, Kaiser Farms, and were invited to come along. We showed up not really knowing what to expect and when we arrived we were met with friendly and welcoming faces. After that day I was hooked and quickly became immersed in the community.Continue reading→