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The chalkboard menu indicates the day’s specials at the Lincoln Cafe on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. The beloved Mount Vernon restaurant will close by the end of December. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
Mount Vernon – It’s not often that we eat out, but I make it a point to eat locally when we do. So, I’m joining the masses in mourning this week, as word of the Lincoln Cafe’s closing spreads. Continue reading
An air quality warning was issued today for east-central Iowa. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued an air quality warning today for east-central Iowa.
Officials noted that elevated fine particle pollution levels were recorded across the area this morning and those levels above EPA health standards are likely to persist in this area today. Continue reading
New Pioneer Food Co-op members are being asked to vote again, this time to authorize relocation of the Iowa City store or a second Iowa City location. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
IOWA CITY – A development designed specifically with New Pioneer Food Co-op in mind will soon be proposed near downtown Iowa City.
The proposal calls for a new 10,000-square-foot store on the main floor, with condominiums or affordable apartments on the upper levels of the new building, possibly at College Street and Van Buren. Continue reading
Consider choosing a fresh, Iowa-grown Christmas tree this holiday season. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
If you need help and direction finding an Iowa-grown tree for Christmas, the Iowa Christmas Tree Growers Association offers an excellent resource on its website.
I found four tree farms that I didn’t know about previously in our area, just by typing in my zip code into the group’s “Find a Farm” link.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey is encouraging Iowans to consider choosing a fresh, Iowa grown Christmas tree to decorate their home during the upcoming holiday season.
Here is more from Northey: Continue reading
No gardener has room for it all, but author Alys Fowler intentionally breaks the rules to show how you can “have your garden and eat it, too,” in her new book, “The Edible Garden.”
Read on for how you can win a free copy of this 250-page book.
Trained at the Horticultural Society, the New York Botanical Garden and the Royal Botanic Garden at Kew, Fowler also is a BBC personality in the U.K.
Full of gorgeous photos in muted colors, the book covers the full spectrum from starting a garden, to what to grow, harvesting, home cooking and brews. Continue reading
Colorful corn grown by Gary Buker of Prairie Rose in Martelle, Iowa, is sold at the indoor Mount Vernon Farmers Market on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
When giving thanks this Thursday, remember your local growers and producers who make those delectable meals possible!
I stocked up for Thanksgiving dinner at the indoor Mount Vernon Farmers Market on Saturday, where I bought stone-ground corn; sweet potatoes; carrots; squash; locally produced meats; kale and more. (The tantalizing chocolates from Mount Vernon Confections are a given, of course, though they are too tempting to survive more than a few minutes!) Continue reading
Monarch butterfly/Wikipedia
Sad news about what some of us already suspected: the monarch butterfly population appears to be down this year at the insects’ overwintering site in Mexico.
The Fall Migration News notes that only 10 trees were filled with the delicate orange and black butterflies this November at El Rosario Sanctuary, compared to 60 trees just two years ago. Continue reading
Trees need special care as winter approaches. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
It’s not quite winter, though our recent weather might fool those of us living in Iowa.
The experts at Marion-based Trees Forever provide important information on how to care for your trees at this time of year, along with a Christmas tree guide to help you with that annual holiday tradition. Remember, the annual Trees Forever symposium: Our Woodland Legacy, is also coming up soon. Continue reading
The connection between trees and our health will be the focus of “Our Woodland Legacy” on Dec. 4, 2013, in Cedar Rapids. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
CEDAR RAPIDS – Our friends at Trees Forever are accepting registrations for what promises to be an inspirational event. The annual “Our Woodland Legacy” symposium, set for Dec. 4 in Cedar Rapids, will focus on the interconnection between trees and other natural areas and our health.
Here is more about the event: Continue reading
Restoration of Iowa’s waterways will be the subject of a meeting on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2013, in Iowa City. (photo/Cindy Hadish)
IOWA CITY – A new group called Iowa River Friends was started this year to improve, protect and enjoy the Iowa River, its creeks and streams.
The group provided details on an upcoming meeting to gather information about river restoration throughout the state for the Iowa Legislature’s Study Committee on Rivers and Waterways.
Here is more about this Saturday’s meeting:
