October is such an Ogre. T.S. Eliot called April the cruelest month, but October must be the scariest, as there is something about The Fall that prompts me to consider the Darkness. I’m reading a very scary book right now by James Lovelock called The Revenge of Gaia: Earth’s Climate Crisis & The Fate Of Humanity. Coupled with another book by Geoffrey Miller entitled Spent: Sex, Evolution, and Consumer Behavior, one arrives upon the idea that we are nothing more than “tribal carnivores” living in a “sensual wonderland of marketing and status-seeking that we call the global consumer culture.” Geoffrey Miller employs evolutionary psychology to understand our behavior while James Lovelock shows us the results.

And it is scary! What is one to do? It is all so much. It’s enough to prompt one to throw their hands in the air and give up. These are the “true” Halloween monsters: climate change, fossil fuel consumption, disappearing bees, health and healthcare reform, energy production (Dams, Nuclear, Coal), water scarcity, garbage, waste, plastic, pollution . . .

How do we even begin to take this Ogre on? Perhaps an explanation from another Ogre could help. Consider this exchange from the film Shrek:

Shrek: Ogres are like onions.
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes. No.
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry.
Shrek: No.
Donkey: Oh, you leave ‘em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin’ little white hairs.
Shrek: NO. Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
[sighs]
Donkey: Oh, you both have layers. Oh. You know, not everybody likes onions.

I like onions. Can you guess yet what we are featuring this week in produce? But before I get to those onions, let’s peel this one. What can we do about all of those problems? We are just trying to make a living, right? We are doing what is best for our family. How can we fix all of these different problems? Should we try? How do we even think about all these things?

There is a guy who has thought a lot about these things, and has come to the solution that by fixing food, we can solve most of these other problems as a consequence. Michael Pollan thinks that by by changing the way we eat, we could address climate change, be healthier, cut the cost of health care, and reduce our fossil fuel consumption. His big answer? “Eat food. Mostly plants. Not too much.” This and other advice about food is featured in his most recent book, In Defense Of Food: An Eater’s Manifesto. The Co-op Book Department has some of these available if you would like to investigate further.

The message I’m always shouting is “local, local!” And partly that’s because it’s fresh, but also because it is so good. Our local farmers are very good at what they do, and it is important to support that— for the benefit of our community and for the benefit of the whole world! It is not black and white, though. And remember, everyone peels their own onion!

And speaking of onions, we have several varieties now of local, organic onions.  Perfect to throw in the crock pot with a cut of meat from Boise’s Best Meat Department. Add some potatoes, carrots, and don’t forget the parsnips—they are so good, and local too!

Try the cipollini onions and shallots, too, for something new. I’m assured by a reputable source that caramelized onions on anything makes it better! Both of these would do well in a soup. And don’t be intimidated by food. If Thoreau can eat Purslane and Woodchuck, we can try a new onion to add some diversity to our diet!

I’m also pleased to announce the return of our local Williamson Orchard Apple Cider. It says “fall” like Snake River Melons say “end of summer.” They are gone, by the way, and it feels like summer is totally gone. too. We do still have some grapes and melons left, though. Get them while you can.

And remember:

Please eat your vegetables. It will make your mother feel good.