Exciting news as we head into 2025!
As we begin a new year, we have some exciting news to share.
We are expanding our farm business to include a second location! Starting in late winter, we will begin using the fields, high tunnels, greenhouse, and buildings at Morning Glory Farm in Mount Vernon.
Plant starts in front of the renovated barn at Morning Glory. Photo Credit: Donna Warhover
For the last decade, Donna Warhover has led Morning Glory Farm as a diversified vegetable farm, market, and event venue where she grew community just as much as she grew food. We were frequent vendors at their Thursday afternoon Farmer's Markets in 2022 and 2023 and I feel this was an important place for us to connect with the Mount Vernon community. We share a passion for organic agriculture, creating access to locally grown food and flowers, and bringing people together. We are excited about all the ways we will be able to do exactly that at this location, and we are grateful for Donna and Bill's warm welcome to become the next stewards of the farm. You can read Donna's transition letter here.
We will transition the name of this farm to Rhubarb Botanicals, and it will be the new home to our flower farm and our herbal apothecary. We will continue growing herbs and raising sheep on our home farm a few miles north of Mount Vernon. Since there is a commercial kitchen on-site, we will be relocating our apothecary to the farm and letting go of our room within the First Street Community Center. We don't have shop open hours at the FSCC planned before we move, though we will coordinate a few select times for local orders to be picked up and post an announcement when those dates are on the calendar. You can always place an order online for shipping (in the wintertime, this truly is the best option to get your order in a timely manner even if you live nearby as the weather and our scheduling can be unpredictable).
Located one mile south of Mount Vernon near the intersection of Hwy 1 and Hwy 30, the farm's location is prime for welcoming visitors from near and far. Every time I drive by, I imagine what it will look like in the summer months when the entire field is bursting with flowers in bloom. I can't wait to share this color therapy with the world!
We'll have regular open hours at this location to shop for fresh flowers, herbal products, experience our You-Pick fields, and more. As of now, we plan to be open Saturday mornings (starting in May) and Thursday afternoons (starting in June). By early spring, our website will have an updated calendar of all the events on the schedule.
Here are a few of the things we have planned for this new-to-us space in 2025:
Mount Vernon Farmers Market
We will be initiating the return of a Mount Vernon Farmers Market! Beginning in early May, the market will be open every Saturday from 9am - 12pm through October. There will also be special seasonal pop-up markets in November and December. There will be an open call for vendors to join us for the market; look for the release of applications by early February.
We plan to return as full season vendors at the Iowa City Farmers Market and Cedar Rapids Downtown Market this year, as well.
Seasonal Farm Store
The Farm Store will feature a curated selection of locally grown goods and provisions from fellow farmers and artisans. Here is where you can browse and shop all Rhubarb Botanicals goods - our entire herbal apothecary line-up, fresh & dried herbs, and fresh flowers - as well as local vegetables, pasture-raised lamb from Lamb's Quarter Livestock, pantry staples, and more. We plan to open the Farm Store in May on Saturdays 9am-12pm and add open hours on Thursday afternoons in June.
Spring Plant Sales
Growing plant starts for your home gardens is one of my favorite things we do each spring. With a second greenhouse, we'll be able to grow more than ever before! You can expect a robust selection of vegetables, herbs, flowers, native plants, dahlia tubers, some seed packets, potting mix, and more.
Plant Sales will occur on weekends throughout the month of May until sold out. We will open online pre-orders for plant starts in early February. We've nearly finalized the plant list we will offer this year, but there is still time to make a suggestion if there is a specific variety you'd like us to grow for you! Fill out our Plant Sale feedback form here.
Our Dahlia Tuber pre-order is open now on our website. Reserve your tubers now for spring planting! It may seem early to be thinking about it, but some varieties are close to being sold out already so if you have your eyes set on a certain variety it would be wise to secure your order sooner than later. We'll store them well for you until it's time to plant! Dahlia tubers are available for shipping and local pick-up.
You-Pick Flowers
In addition to our own production flower fields, we will create a dedicated plot for You-Pick Flowers! Experience the beauty of locally-grown flowers up close and personal while you harvest and create your own fresh flower bouquet. The You-Pick field will be open select hours on Thursday afternoons and for groups by appointment. We anticipate the field being open for You-Pick from early July through the end of September.
Flower & Vegetable CSA Pick-Ups
Our Flower CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) subscription program is the backbone of our flower operation and we are grateful for our members who commit to a season of sourcing local flowers from us! This year we will offer five monthly subscriptions - June, July, August, September, and an October Dahlia Share - with a discounted option to purchase a Full Season Share (16 weeks). CSA pick-ups will occur on Thursdays from 4-6pm. We will also offer an Iowa City and Cedar Rapids drop site on Wednesdays. We will open our 2025 Flower CSA by the end of January and more details about the shares will be announced soon.
Buffalo Ridge Orchard will distribute their full season Vegetable CSA shares and fall Apple shares to the farm for pick-up on Thursday afternoons as well. You can sign up directly through their website when they open their CSA shares, likely in late January.
Events, Workshops, & Private Rentals
Farm-to-table dinners. How to make your own herbal tinctures. A Flower Bar where you create your own bouquet while enjoying a wine or cocktail tasting. These are just a few ideas of the programming we have in mind! We will begin incorporating educational and experiential workshops, classes, and events that center local agriculture, food, and fun. The farm will also be available for occasional private rentals. We will be creating an official inquiry form and availability calendar soon.
The Harvest Market we hosted in the barn at Morning Glory in November 2024. Photo Credit: Kelli Kennon-Lane
Rest assured we will be filling in a lot of details about the offerings and experiences listed above over the next few months. The best way to stay up to date with what's happening is to sign up for our email newsletters and check our website. If our newsletter is currently landing in your Promotions tab, I'd encourage you to move it to your Primary inbox so you see it when we send it. We'll also post on our Instagram and Facebook page so make sure to give us a follow on our socials. If you have a question or suggestion, reach out to me at emma@rhubarbbotanicals.com.
We look forward to creating experiences and sharing our organically grown flowers, herbs, and food with you in 2025!
Have a wonderful start to the New Year!
- Emma