O's Grill
From a humble hot dog cart to a food truck and now a brick-and-mortar restaurant, O’s Grill has been serving fresh, flavorful Mediterranean cuisine to Cedar Rapids for over 15 years.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
LIFE
Type: Farm
Produces: Aronia Berries
Location: Keota, IA
Miles from Coop: 36
Farmer Levi Lyle believes taking care of one's own health is the first step in caring for the soil.
That's why LIFE (Levi's Indigenous Fruit Enterprise) began over a decade ago. When looking for crops to diversify their family farm, Levi wanted to grow fruits known for their healthful qualities.
“I wanted to promote something that is native to the Midwest.”
Tart and juicy, aronia berries look similar to blueberries, but with three times the antioxidants and a much more astringent flavor.
Aronia berries contain more antioxidants than any other fruit tested by the USDA.
“My kids eat them by the handfuls. They aren’t supersweet, but as a native and wild fruit, they have more nutrition.”
Levi's farm now boasts other native Iowa fruits like paw paws, sour cherries and honeyberries.
By diversifying with indigenous plants, the Lyles are able to lean into the seasonality of their crops and connect even more to nature.
“Growing aronia berries has become a great analogy for how we can work sustainably with nature to grow food.”
Levi is a leader in conservation no-till farming practices and carbon sequestration.
Other Local Producers
Be sure to check out these others great local producers!
LIFE
Levi's Indigenous Fruit Enterprise is known for their aronia berries, which are native to Iowa, through sustainable farming practices that work with nature.
Keota, IA
Kerns Homegrown
Our local source for non-GMO sweet corn! In 1999, at the age of 15, Blake Kerns rented two acres of abandoned crop land, borrowed a planter, and seeded sweet corn. Twenty years later he's still planting, picking, and delivering fresh picked homegrown produce.
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Crane Creek Farms
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Big Timber Maple has been producing certified organic maple syrup since 2000. What began as a hobby quickly grew into a thriving family business, driven by a passion for quality and tradition.
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Cortado
People would say, ‘Show me what you can do,’ and I would make them a Cortado. The balance of it is great.
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Marieke Gouda Cheese
"By providing a loving and relaxing environment for our cows we are able to get remarkably consistent full-flavored raw milk."
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