By Cindy Hadish/for Radish Magazine COLUMBUS JUNCTION – Todd Mills is growing the future. The lion’s mane and oyster mushrooms Mills cultivates in a growing room outside his rural Columbus Junction home possess a distinctively futuristic look, while also holding promise in studies of their health benefits. Mills, 31, has been selling mushrooms the past […]
You are browsing archives for
Month: April 2014
Sample local foods and visit new site du...
CEDAR RAPIDS – If you’re a fan of local foods and still not a member of the Iowa Valley Food Co-op, be sure to make it to this upcoming event. The Cedar Rapids-based co-op, which uses an online ordering system, will have an open house from 4-7 p.m. Tuesday, May 6, at its new location […]
Flood fears rise with Iowa’s wet forecas
It was a white-knuckle drive home from Manchester to Cedar Rapids late Sunday afternoon, with torrential rains, tornado warnings and blindingly bright flashes of lightning. With rain forecast for the next four days, the fear of flooding is on the minds of many Eastern Iowans. In Manchester, I stopped at Bushel & A Peck, a […]
Plant swap, farmers market and gardening...
Great things are happening in Ely. This town between Cedar Rapids and Iowa City is cutting-edge when it comes to local foods, with its own farmers market, seed lending library and community gardens. Ely’s final indoor farmers market of the season is Saturday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m. to noon at the Ely Public Library, […]
Wind knocks Iowa’s national champion tre
Bad news for Iowa’s national champion tree was reported, ironically, on Arbor Day. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced today that the 114-feet-tall black ash was damaged in a wind storm, ending its reign as the tallest ash in the country. Damage was discovered Thursday by a team planning to give it a preventive […]
How to celebrate Arbor Day in Eastern Io...
Arbor Day – celebrated this year on Friday, April 25 – seems to have taken a back seat to Earth Day in recent years, but at Trees Forever, every day is Arbor Day, and Earth Day, combined. In fact, the Marion-based nonprofit is marking the milestone of its 25th anniversary this year, and has openings […]
Free food project launched in Iowa City
Iowa City-based Backyard Abundance has another innovative project underway. Already, the nonprofit is at the forefront in designing edible landscapes and is helping Iowa City start its first edible forest, at Wetherby Park. Today, director Fred Meyer announced a new initiative called “Pick Me!” that goes back to the basics in offering free fresh fruits, […]
Brush fire takes life of homegrown busin...
“How is your mother?” The question was an odd way for an interview to start, as I’m usually on the other end of the queries. A photojournalist and I had traveled to the small community of Oneida in northeast Iowa to talk to Genny Bennett about her business, Oneida Nameplate Co., which makes medical alert […]
Earth-y events happening Saturday in Ced...
This Tuesday, April 22, is Earth Day, but many activities are happening Saturday, including special events in Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. Backyard Abundance has its fourth annual plant sale scheduled from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, April 26, in Iowa City and EcoFest will take place the same day in the NewBo City […]
Changes coming to Eastern Iowa farmers m...
Note: Find an updated list of more than 50 Eastern Iowa farmers markets all season here at Homegrown Iowan. For a printed copy, order the April 21 edition of the Corridor Business Journal at this link. By Cindy Hadish/For the Corridor Business Journal Danielle Martin and Laura Strabala are hanging up their baking hats after […]