It was, in fact, that latter sentiment that inspired Festa Italiana.  For awhile now, the Boise Co-op Wine Shop has been working with Small Vineyards, a group that describes itself as follows:

“We are seekers of those outstanding small vineyard wines. Most importers would never give these wines a second thought, regardless of quality, because there is not enough to make a brand. Think of Small Vineyards as your personal wine detectives in Italy. We typically taste 200 to 300 wines each month, but only fall in love with one or two. Those we bring home, so that you, too, can discover them.”

To which we must add, God Bless You!  If you can’t get behind a cause like this, what can you endorse?

To advance this cause, Small Vineyards has organized Festa Italiana events in a number of markets where people are passionate about great food and wine, bringing together a variety of local vendors and producers to provide a cross section of Italian cuisine.  In the case of Boise, we realized that this cross section could conveniently be found in one single culinary venue: the Boise Co-op!  So, here’s what we have planned for Saturday, August 27, from noon to 5 pm.  For a sneak peak at some of the Italian wines we’ll be featuring at this year’s Festa Italiana, click here for a video with Leil Cardoza from the Boise Co-op Wine Shop.

Sip Vino with an Italian Wine Maker

The Boise Co-op Wine Shop will once again play host to renowned Italian wine maker Antonio Sanguineti, whose last name we’re pretty sure translates into something having to do with contentment…but then, consider the fact that his motto is, “May we all die young, as late as possible.”

Say Cheese!

The Co-op Deli Cheese Department will once again assemble a sampling of Italian cheeses to pair with our wine selections.  While Jane the Cheese Lady is busy finalizing the line up, we have it on good authority that it will once again include Piave Vecchio, an aged cows milk cheese (think sharp cheddar) that like its cousin Parmigiano Reggiano is terrific with crisp apples, a good baguette, or grated over pasta.  We’ll be telling you more about the other cheeses to be featured in the days preceding Festa, so stay tuned for more details from Jane the Cheese Lady.

Italian Sushi and Other Delights

We’ll have other Co-op Departments on board as well to bring you a sampling of la dolce vida, Mediterranean style – one that last year included olives, peppered jam, and biscotti that you’ll want to dip in that next cup of espresso (and yes, we have Italian Roast coffee beans, pisan).  This year we’re getting our Sushi Bar in the act with some fusion rolls that will introduce the Ginza to Genoa.  And if you make your way through all that, you can round out the day with tastes of our Trovare Gelato!

Win a Bike!

In case we haven’t given you enough reasons to make the scene on August 27, we’ll throw in one more: a chance to win the sweet ride in this picture.  Rest assured we’ll find some appropriate goodies to put in the basket along with your little dog Toto, who based on his name is obviously from the Old Country as well.  Show up, enter the drawing, sip some great wines, nosh on cheeses, fusion sushi and other comestibles…and who knows, you might just pedal away on a new cruiser bike.  If you can think of a better way to spend a summer afternoon, please invite us!  We’ll bring the wine.

Come see us at the Co-op Wine Shop on August 27 from noon to 5 pm for a taste of Italy.

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta” -Federico Fellini

Renae and "Pet"

Located in Rupert Idaho, all of the milk produced by Organic Acres comes from a 50 cow, single family dairy, owned and operated by Don and Renae Halverson and their family in Rupert, Idaho. Organic Acres has been USDA Certified Organic since Oct. 2008, but organic practices have been used for many years prior. Milk is processed in a nearby organic bottling plant, and the dairy cows get the majority of their feed from pasture during the growing season. When they are not on pasture, the cows are housed in open lots and fed hay grown by Organic Acres. All animals on the farm are treated with kindness and respect, including being housed in stalls bedded with straw during bad weather. Unlike factory dairies, Organic Acres cows stay in the herd for many years because of access to outdoors, exercise, and gentle handling.

The Halversons have been milking cows for 23 years and have had many mother-daughter pairs in their herd. Calves are hand raised by Renae and moved to pasture after they are weaned. They remain pastured on the farm from birth until they have their own calves and join the milking herd. It is not uncommon for them to come running when they hear her voice!

The Halversons take pride in their farm, their dairy, and their milk. They are committed to providing top-quality organic milk “from our family to yours.”

For more information about Organic Acres, visit http://organicacresidaho.com

Our Meat Counter

The following is a list of definitions for individual meat/fish industry product labeling:

Sustainable: Any farming or ranching organization committed to utilizing growing techniques that are proven to make the least possible impact on the eco system.

Applicable examples pertaining to the beef/dairy industry:

Applicable examples pertaining to seafood industry:

• Following the Monterey Bay Aquarium guidelines (keeps you updated on what is safe to consume and sustainable
• No over fishing
• No bottom dragging for fish (shark is often fished this way)

All Natural: Customers must be wary of the “All Natural” label. It is important to have a strong rapport with your butcher/fishmonger. Establish an environment of trust and ask specific questions about product claims. The term “all natural” most often means no antibiotics or hormones were administered via injection. There still exists problems with suppliers adding these elements to animal feed.

Free Range: This means livestock were allotted a certain amount of acreage per number of head. This industry practice is believed to promote a healthier/less stressful environment for livestock.

Grass Fed: This category label applies predominantly to the beef industry.  This growing practice is the most important principle applied to cattle husbandry. Grass fed cows derive from their natural diet more omega-3 essential fat than commercially grown cattle.

Certified Organic: In order to be certified organic all animals must be certified organic. This means the brood stock must also be certified organic.  All animals in the organic food program must be birthed organic. All feed fed to the animals must be certified organic, including pasture, hay and grain. So, the land they roam on and everything the cattle are fed is certified organic.

Be conscious of what you consume!

Overfishing and other destructive practices are eliminating many of the fish species we currently consume – but alternatives exist and many fisheries are working to improve. You can make an impact, just by choosing one type of seafood over another.

Monterey Bay Aquarium’s “Seafood Watch” program was designed to spread awareness about sustainable seafood, guiding consumers and businesses to make conscious choices for healthy oceans.  Their up-to-date recommendations are science-based, peer reviewed, and use ecosystem-based criteria, indicating which seafood items are “Best Choices,” “Good Alternatives,” and which ones you should “Avoid.”

Seafood Watch raises consumer awareness through consistently updated pocket guides, website, mobile applications and outreach efforts.  With close to 200 partners across North America, including the two largest food service companies in the U.S., restaurants, distributors and seafood purveyors are encouraged to purchase from sustainable sources.

Vision of Sustainability

Seafood Watch helps to sustain wild, diverse and healthy ocean ecosystems that will exist long into the future.  Consumers and businesses are encouraged to purchase seafood that is fished or farmed in ways that doesn’t harm the environment. When there is scientific uncertainty, Seafood Watch errs on the side of conservation.

Why Do Seafood Choices Matter?

Nearly 75% of the world’s fisheries are fished to capacity, or overfished. Our seafood choices have the power to make this situation worse, or improve it. Seafood Watch recommendations don’t hinge on any single issue. Instead, they consider the fishery, habitat, species, management, and a host of other factors that affect each species. In this way, Seafood Watch offers a complete vision of sustainability.

How Does Seafood Watch Develop Recommendations?

A team of scientists research government reports, journal articles and white papers. They also contact fishery and fish farm experts. After a thorough review, sustainability criteria is applied to develop an in-depth Seafood Watch Report. All reports are reviewed by a panel of experts from academia, government and the seafood industry and are available on the website. From these reports, the seafood recommendations are created.

Visit the website for more information about the movement, a complete list of Seafood Watch recommendations, sustainable recipes, and much more!

Boise Co-op proudly adheres to the “Seafood Watch” recommended alternatives for our seafood offerings and pocket guides are available at our Meat Department counter.

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and our turkeys will be arriving any day! We are proud to carry Shelton’s fresh, free range and drug free turkeys and Shelton’s frozen free range certified organic turkeys,
set to arrive November 15 or 16, but there could be freight delays, so keep checking back for the official word on turkey arrival. In the meantime, learn where our turkeys will be coming from and those who’ve loved and nurtured them:

Shelton’s Turkey Ranch started in 1924 with one hen and one tom that had been given to Mr. & Mrs. Shelton as a wedding gift. It evolved into a champion breeding facility that received many awards for body conformation and feather color. As an offshoot of the trophy breeding business, the Shelton family began growing holiday turkeys for the folks in the Pomona Valley of Southern California. As demand for the broad-breasted Shelton turkey grew, the emphasis was placed on growing turkeys for the holiday market.

Shelton’s turkeys are grown in free range conditions, and birds are ALWAYS raised without the use of antibiotics or artificial growth stimulants!  Hand evisceration techniques are also employed: most companies use machines which is quicker, but very sloppy.  A machine can slip and puncture the bird which can begin contamination and bruise and or damage the bird.

Shelton’s is a family business. All of the ownership and all of the upper management are made up of one family. They now have third generation Flanagans involved in their little family business. In addition to their own family, they support several other family agricultural businesses.

In addition to the natural foods market, Shelton’s poultry products are used in some of the finer restaurants on the West Coast.  Shelton’s turkeys are known for quality and consistency.

This Thanksgiving, provide only the best for you and your family.  Look for Shelton’s turkeys at Boise Co-op Meat Department and rest assured that you purchased quality and purchased consciously!

For more information on the turkeys, how to prepare them, and holiday recipes, visit www.sheltons.com

Happy Thanksgiving from Boise Co-op!

** Please keep in mind that there are no special orders on turkeys, all are available on a first come first serve basis and they sell out quickly! For more information, please call Boise Co-op Meat Department at 472-4516**

1. Locally grown food tastes better

Food grown in the Treasure Valley was probably picked within the last day or two and is crisp, sweet, and loaded with flavor. Produce flown or trucked in from California, Mexico, China or New Zealand is much older and possibly picked green and gassed to coax ripening. We are lucky in Boise to have a staggering diversity of fruit orchards, 3 season vegetable farms, grass-fed beef & lamb, range fed poultry, fresh dairy and more.

2. Local produce is better for you

Fresh produce loses nutrients quickly, sugars turn to starches, plant cells shrink, and produce loses its vitality. Buying local lets you get food that is at the peak of flavor and nutritional value. Our bodies naturally crave seasonal crops, requiring more hearty potatoes and cabbages when weather turns colder, and lighter salad greens and cucumbers when it is warmer. Shopping locally tunes you in with the seasons.

3. Local Food Preserves Genetic Diversity

The modern industrial food system favors varieties with thick skins that can survive packing and shipping, leaving little variety. Family farmers place value on different things, like choosing varieties that are uniquely suited to the Treasure Valley, often favoring heirloom varieties that have been passed down from generation to generation. Old varieties contain genetic material from hundreds of years of human selection; they may someday provide the genes needed to create varieties that will thrive in a changing climate.

4. Local food is Genetically Modified Organism Free

A June 2001 survey by ABC News showed that 93% of Americans want labels on gmo food – most so that they can avoid it. Biotech companies currently only license gmo fruits and vegetables to large commercial growers, which means that local farmers will guarantee a non-gmo source.

5. Local food supports local farming families

We need to support talented and hardworking farm families from disappearing, as each 5 year agricultural census shows they are – less than 2% of the population is currently a farming family. A typical farmer gets paid 10 cents of the retail food dollar, but buying directly from the producer or conscientious retailer keeps more $ in their pocket and their family on the land. A few of our local farm families include: City Gardens, Earthly Delights, Rice Family Farms, M&M Heath Family Farm, Sunset Butte Organics, Ballard Cheese, Rolling Stone Goat Cheese , Jack Kleeb-Turkey Ridge Farm, Morning Owl Farm, Clover Leaf Dairy, The Mushroom Ranch, Canyon Bounty Farm, Purple Sage, H&H, Gastons Bakery, Granny’s Farms, Hard Ball Farm Pork, Lava Lakes Lamb, Meadowlark Farm and numerous others.

6. Local food builds community

Chat with Becky Morgan at Boise Urban Garden School (BUGS) or discuss heirloom wheat with Beth Rasgorshek at Canyon Bounty Farm – it’s a great connection for eater and grower. Knowing farmers gives you insight into the seasons, the weather, and the accessible miracle of raising food. Go to www.treasurevalleyfoodcoaltion.org for a complete listing of local farmers.

7. Local food preserves open space

When more people put their dollars into the pockets of farmers and show that their work is valuable, farmland becomes less likely to be developed. We face enormous pressures in the Treasure Valley with a high migration rate, putting our area at particular risk.

8. Local Food benefits wildlife

The habitat of a farm – the patchwork of fields, meadows, woods, ponds and buildings – is the perfect environment for many beloved species of wildlife, including bluebirds, herons, bats, rabbits, and eagles.

9. Local food supports a clean environment

If recent air quality alerts are any indication, land-use in our area may not always be in our collective best interest. A family farm however, is a place where resources like fertile soil, clean water and pollution free air are valued. According to some estimates, farmers who practice conservation tillage can sequester 12-14 % of the carbon emitted by vehicles and industry.

10. Local food is about the future

By supporting Treasure Valley farmers today, you can help ensure that there will be farms in our community tomorrow, and that future generations will enjoy all the jerusalem artichokes, heirloom potatoes, goat cheese, kale, eggs, strawberries, peaches, pasture raised poultry, grass fed dairy & beef and more that this region has to offer.

Think Local First

*List courtesy of Dave Krick, owner of Red Feather and Bittercreek restaurants

“Why did the chicken cross the road?” Well, you may have to ask Rudy the Rooster, the all seeing, ( and perhaps all knowing) bird who sits atop Jim’s Diner. Not my name for him – it was coined by St. Joes’ Elementary students across Fort St. years ago. He looks so confidant, so vigilant.

With Spring here, and weekend picnics and Shakespeare Festival outings about to commence, this seems like the perfect time to make you apprised of the numerous variety of chicken choices available to you at the Co-Op Deli when you’re planning to pack your outdoor mealtime gathering.  All of the following items are fully cooked, and ready to reheat or serve cold – but keep in mind that although these are all Deli favorites, they may not always be available simultaneously nor at every trip to the deli…But if you come around often enough, you’re bound to find them all.

Chicken Parmesean - $10.99 per pound. A breast, pounded flat, and dressed with Marinara and Parmesean. 

Shitake Mushroom Chicken Breasts – $6.99 each. Breaded, stuffed with delicious shitake mushrooms

Apple Almond Stuffed Chicken Breasts – $5.95. One of my personal favorites- cold or warm.

 Coconut Chicken Tenders - $12.99 per pound. Small strips, a little breading, and dressed with Apricot Barbecue Sauce. A good snack size, finger food idea, and “unmessy” kid chow for outdoors.

Inferno Wings – $6.99 per pound. Ok, probably not kid chow, but tasty nonetheless. Please enjoy responsibly.

Chicken Cordon Bleu – $ 5.95  each. Breast traditionally stuffed with ham and cheese,  ( the “Blue Ribbbon” awarded to women chefs going back to a story involving Madame de Pomadour and King Louis XV- do tell) Probably best served warm, so the cheese can melt a bit. Very satisfying.

Apricot BBQ Chicken – $4.95 per breast, $2.95 per leg-thigh. Bastedand baked with our popular Apricot BBQ sauce, simple and very picnic worthy.

Chicken Marbella  - $4.95 breast, $2.95 leg-thigh. Baked and served with plums and olives, this is a Co Op customer favorite. Many regulars to the Deli get it every time ( almost every) they come in for dinner.

 Chipotle Wings – $6.99 per pound. Not quite as hot as the Inferno, but “up there” . A rather savory side to them as well, good with a cold beer or Dry Riesling.

Apricot Olive Chicken – $4.95 breast, $2.95 leg-thigh.  Also popular with our regular clientele. Colorful Yellow Apricots and Green Olives to “dress up” the plate.

Buttermilk Chicken – $4.95 breast, $2.95 leg-thigh. A more “homestyle” looking selection, but not deep fried. (None of our chicken, or anything, is)  . Crispy crunchy, another kid friendly idea, without the paper bucket to tow along.

 Lemon Chicken – $4.95 breast, $2.95 leg-thigh. Topped with slices of fresh lemon, for a citrussy flavor, versatile with sides such as green beans, asparagus, or wild rice. We have them all, ready to go.

 Look for others as the Spring and Summer roll on.. you never know what new chickens may “cross the road” ( Only Rudy knows…)

Perhaps one of the most memorable marketing-driven catch-phrases of all time came from the old Smucker’s Jam campaigns, “With a name like Smucker’s, it has to be good!” Well, here in the Co-op Deli, we have a number of cheeses with intriguing if not peculiar names—so ridiculous sounding, in some cases, that one must pause and consider, “Well, with a name like that, it has got to be tasty.”

For assistance, I turn once again to Jane, our resident “knower of all things Fromage” in the Deli. I asked her to provide some quick descriptions of the cheeses in the cheese case, giving special attention to those with the quirkiest names, to provide the perspective cheese-buyer a sense of what to expect. For clarification, I have included my own two-bits in parenthases, otherwise it’s all Jane!

Harlech- A nice balanced English Cheddar with medium Horseradish flavoring. From England.

Myzrithra- A great tasting “accent” cheese. A good alternative to Parmesean, try it on pasta, pizza, and salads. (white in appearance, packed in small chunks, and located on the top shelf under the mural in the “cheese cove”) From Greece.

Denhay- One of our favorite aged English Cheddars. Packed in parchment paper.

Mowbay- this cheese looks great on a cheese platter, packed up for Shakespeare. Sheep and Goat’s milk cheeses, separated by grape vine ash. (Who thought of this? It does look cool, and is a nice little “flavor duo”)

Stringles (Okay, I snuck this one in- these are the kid-popular string cheese sticks we offer from Organic Valley. Three varieties available; Colby Jack, Cheddar, and Whole Milk Mozzarella. Packaged in 6 oz bags, look for the smiling worm on the front. “With a name like Stringles… it’s gotta be good for kids, and they are.

Shropshire- A classic English Cheddar, blue veined, with a pronounced Orange color. Very good with some slices of Boars’ Head Black Forest Ham, and some zesty mustard. Dee- lish!

Nederlander- As the name implies- a perfect cheese for a cross country skiing picnic ( With the unbelievable weather we have been experiencing around here lately- this doesn’t seem to far-fetched for an outing right now!)Lightly smoked. From Norway. (Just like me- except for the lightly smoked part.)

Snofrisk-Creamy Goodness! Try it on a toasted bagel. Made from Cow and Goats’ milk. ( we have bagels from H&H in New York in the Freezer aisle, the quintessential New York bagel. packed in thin, triangular wedges, they will fit perfectly into the corner of a picnic basket bound for the park).

Tintern-Onion and Shallot accents found in this one. Very good with a Poulichette baguette from Cafe Du Paris, which we do offer, in the display right next to the Deli.From England, also packed in parchment paper.

No Woman- The folks at Beechers’ had some fun with Jamaican Jerk seasonings, and their lovely “Pride of the Fleet” Cheddar. From Washington State. (We also offer the Beechers’ Flagship, which I enjoy immensely, with a few slices of Organic Fuji Apples.)

Idaho Goatster- From Parma, Idaho. Aged Goat cheese, “seriously delicious” it has even been written about in Bon Appetit, and other food magazines.

Petit Basque- One of the most sought after cheeses in the Service Case- this is a firm-textured piece, with a creamy flavor, and lovely pale-golden color. (along with its’ sibling- Petit Pyrenees, I haven’t met anyone who didn’t try this, and come back for more. Very pleasin). Molded in attractive rounds, about the size of a saucer, and can be cut to your needs.)

Halloumi- The ultimate grilling cheese, creamy white, and a bit less salty than most cheeses. It can withstand a higher temperature before melting, so slice it and put some grill marks on it for flavor and fun. (We have one from Greece, Cyprus, and yes, a local one from the Ballard Family Dairy, in Gooding, Idaho.Theirs competes on a Global scale, and is one that has become a good seller for us, as well.)

Look for other interesting and seasonal cheeses from our Idaho friends at Rollingstone Chevre and Ballards’ Family Dairy as the Summer rolls on… we are proud to have such high quality from good folks- so close to home.

Some blame Lindsey Lohan. This seems like a stretch of the imagination. However it does appear that concern around the alcohol content within the fermented drink became an issue suspiciously soon after the actress publicly claimed her elevated BAC (Blood Alcohol Content) was due to Kombucha consumption.

 It would seem highly unlikely that one could reach a BAC level similar to that achieved from an entire mixed drink by simply guzzling Kombucha. But it does appear that the attention this has brought to the detoxifying, metabolic balancing tea is enough to cause the major producers of Kombucha to voluntarily stop providing the drink until they can clarify its alcohol content more definitively.

The issue is: there is no clear way to determine the precise alcohol content of the non-pasteurized drink – by its nature, the fermentation of the fruit juices within the drink will continue after bottling, leading to some trace alcohol development, the amount of which is not clear since it depends upon storage temperatures, bottling dates, quantities of sugars and fermentable ingredients present, etc.

The current labeling suggests some trace amounts of alcohol may be present, but less than 0.5%. It is this vague percentage that is being called in to question and that will likely need to be clarified before the Kombucha manufacturers resume peaceful production. Attention like this will not disappear and if you ask enough steady Kombucha drinkers, they’ll likely admit they get a little buzz now and then when they drink it – meaning that as ridiculous as it may sound, the tea probably needs to fall under the same restrictions as NA beer.

For now, stock up while you can steady Kombucha heads: what you see is what we’ve got at the Co-op, and it’s not a whole lot at this point.

A nice feature of the Olive Bar is that you can/could buy just a few to accent a dish, garnish a plate, toss in a salad, or liven up that Martini. We are always willing to give you a sample of any olive in the case, because we know that there are many in there that are unique, or new to us, or just look so tempting to try- go ahead and ask!

In addition to salads, olives are great in many pasta dishes, “nudged in” along sided a grilled sausage, and simply a must for a decent cheese platter. However, many of these may perhaps be a little too flavorful to incorporate into your Aunt Mabels’ green Jello Salad…

Here is what we offer, not all of them all of the time, but we  certainly try to please all of the people all of the time:

Kalamata – shiny black olives from Greece- highly versatile, and the most popular olive we sell, no doubt. A bit salty, and very delicious. Named for an ancient seaport, which is also known for figs, dance, and silk kerchieves. I want to go there, now!

Lucques – These are large green and black beauties, with pits, and have been met with a fiercely loyal following amongst Co Op regulars! Grown in the Languedoc region of Southwest France, harvested in the Fall, and often light yielding crops. Meaty and sweet, with a firm flesh. They must be kept submerged in their brine-they discolor easily. Try just one, and you will be a Lucque Lover, indeed!

Picholine – also from Southern France, torpedo shaped, medium weight in flavor, and is considered by many food and beverage writers as the best cocktail olive “out there”. Also good in a pasta dish- perhaps with a few scallops or bacon thrown in!

Cerignola – from Apulia, Italy- these are the largest edible olives in the world. Both green and black, the black ones are a bit softer and sweeter, but both have an excellent full bodied flavor that is like biting into a plum, or apricot! Also excellent in pasta dishes, as well as a relish tray. Very good.

Dry Cured Black – These are not oil packed, but rather “raisiny” in appearance. Very concentrated in flavor, and rather salty, too. Just a few go a long way, whether in a pasta dish, stirred into a sauce that might be ladled over a piece of steak or fish. When you just need a few olives for a little flavor, and don’t need the accompanying oil, these will do the trick. Call it olive “bouillon”

Quite a bit of the Olive Bar selection we show is of stuffed olives. For both cocktail mixers and home cooks- these are what we offer, and you can sample as well;

Olives stuffed with:

bleu cheese

marinated garlic

Sicilian herbs

crushed chilis

sundried tomatoes

slivered almonds ( Although it may be the Picholine that is reputed to be the best Martini olive on the market- I have noticed that these are the ones preferred by most  Co Op customers to “plop” into their libation. Far be it from me to tell a discerning Co Op patron what is best for them)

We also carry Pepper Shooters, which are green and red peppers stuffed with Italian Prosciutto ham and Provolone cheese, packed in a light olive oil. Why are they called Shooters? Perhaps it’s because they’re fairly small, and will “shoot right down” the gullet, followed by a swallow of your favorite beverage. Yum. Very popular with our regular clientele, and look pretty on a plate.

Legumes? yes we have some Giant White Beans, too! About the size of a goldfish, but it doesn’t take a dare from someone to enjoy one! Quite versatile in a salad, or just an interesting condiment on a tray of other picnic items.

Caper Salad – Some other legumes have just a touch of a vinegary flavor to bring out some brighter flavors to whatever they adorn. Small green berries, with some “crunch” that are savory, and work well with many milder cheeses to accent their flavor. Dee- lish.

Marinated Mushrooms – They are smaller button mushrooms in a light olive oil, tender enough to add to any salad, or spoon alongside a fish dish or antipasto salad. Serve warm or cold.

As you can see, the Deli has an ample array of olives, and their counterparts to help you with picnic supplies, backyard functions, and book clubs. File this article under Non-Fiction for non-embellished testimony!

-Todd Giesler