Dear Friends, 
It has been a wonderful experience growing the business and connecting with all of you over the past couple years. Life is leading me in a different direction and it's time to pivot to a new venture. So with bittersweet feelings, Boone's Red Onions is closing up shop. 

If you would like to stock up on onions:
THIS SATURDAY will be my last farmers market (in Midtown). All jars on sale for 8$ 'til they run out!

And the Sac Food Co-op still has onions as long as their stock lasts.

Thank you for supporting Boone's Red Onions (and me)! It has been a real joy getting to know folks in Sacramento's diverse food community and the community more broadly. Special thanks to Alchemist CDC, they are an amazing organization of people who are dedicated to improving food security in our region and making Sacramento's food community more diverse and vibrant.

I hope to see you around town! 

<3
Christopher

onions were more valuable than coins and were used as a form of currency. 
 
5. Aphrodisiac
Even though here at Boone’s we love onions, we wouldn’t go so far to say they inspire love-making. But believe it or not, onions have been considered an aphrodisiac and virility-booster throughout history. And now science is backing that up! Various studies have shown that eating onions (or onion extract) enhances testosterone in male humans and rats.* So bring some Boone's on your next date, guys!
* “Testosterone in Males as Enhanced by Onion (Allium Cepa L.)” https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6406961/

​6. Luck
In Ancient Greece, onions played a powerful role in protecting against spirit possession, maladies, and the evil eye.  To this day, it is a Greek New Year’s eve tradition to hang onions at the front door and then wake up the children the next morning by tapping them on the head with an onion. This ritual is said to bring growth, rebirth, prosperity, and luck in the year to come.

 (originally published in OutWord Magazine September 9, 2021)

​When I slice into an onion, I think about my ancestors who smelled that familiar pungent aroma, touched the same papery exterior, perhaps admired the symmetrical layers, and felt the first sting overwhelm the eyes. The experience of food connects us through time. For my family in particular, food entrepreneurship runs deep. My Great-Grandfather had a legendary confectionary business in Athens that exclusively provided sweets to the King of Greece. My Greek grandparents ran a thriving family restaurant in upstate NY for their entire working life; my “Papou” was the chef and “Yiayia” managed the front of the house.
 
I loved summer vacations at my grandparents’ as a little kid. They lived above the restaurant and when we visited, we would stay up there too. I’d slide down the grandiose banister in the entryway, made of thick polished wood, and land on the carpeted floor next to the hostess station. Like most kids, I liked feeling useful, part of the team. I tried to help my Yiayia fold cloth napkins into perfect swans, but it was beyond my ability and patience, so we settled on a more simple fan shape. I’d help the waitstaff set tables and arrange the chairs in the dining room so everything looked perfectly symmetrical before the rush and bustle of the busy evening ahead. I found the ceiling fans mesmerizing and made a game where I would lay on the floor staring at them, isolate one of the blades, and see how long my eyes could stick with it as it spun around and around. I remember my Papou’s hands clearly, his thick strong fingers that were so critical to his livelihood and our family’s success. And I especially loved that he had an endless supply of rice pudding.
 
On the Polish side of my family, my grandmother was an admired cafeteria chef who could make dishes taste delicious despite a meager budget and less-than-quality ingredients. She taught me about bacon and buttered egg noodles, both of which became childhood culinary obsessions, to my mother’s chagrin. Her sister, my Great Aunt Mary, was like another grandmother to me and taught me how to cook important staples, like pancakes. Aunt Mary would always have a giant jar of her pickled red onions in the fridge and she seemed to put them on every meal. She would say her good health was due to her long brisk walks and her special red onions. While I can’t attest to the health claims, I can confirm her onions were so delicious, they became the inspiration for Boone’s.
 
My beloved grandparents and Aunt Mary have been gone for years, but when I’m making pickled red onions, I bring them into the kitchen with me. As I work, I often wonder what they would say to me today, what would they think of me? I was the little girl they loved and showered with attention. None of them knew me as Christopher, as “he.” Even as a child, I would change myself for them. When we visited Yiayia and Papou, my basic t-shirts, pants with grass stains, and sneakers were replaced with patterned dresses and girly shoes. My 80s bowl cut got barrettes. I liked dressing this way for them because it was my ticket to their praise, approvals, and warm attention. My grandmother was tickled pink to see me, around age 12, in her old Carmen Miranda outfit on Halloween. It’s one of those childhood photos many of us trans people have, where we can see past the smile, to the uncomfortable conflict of gender in the eyes and awkward stance.
 
They could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that I would become the person I am today. I wonder, as I’m working in the kitchen, would they still love and embrace me? Would they be proud of me and my carrying on the food tradition? And if so, would they be proud despite me being trans or because I am trans?
 
Had they lived through my gender transition, I may have been rejected by my grandparents and Aunt Mary. They were all traditional and religious. I’m not the only queer person who has reflected on the limitations that passed relatives may have put on their love; living with the painful possibility that a beloved grandparent would not love me today, as I am, if they were here. 
 
It is perhaps the greatest solace of their death that we will never have that conflict. I will always be their darling granddaughter and niece, and somehow that helps me embrace that awkward little kid in the dresses and the Carmen Miranda costume just a bit more.

Can you imagine a world without onions? It makes us cry just thinking about it! The onion has played a critical role over the course human history, not only in food, but also in medicine and religion. Love ‘em or hate ‘em, onions are part of our DNA as humans.
 
The origins of the first onions remain a mystery with many layers. Many archaeologists believe wild onions grew native to central Asia, while other research suggests onions grew first in Iran and West Pakistan. Paleoarcheobotanists* have discovered traces of onions in the remains of human settlements dating back to 5,500 BC in China, Egypt, and India. This geographic range shows the onion was widespread by then, so it’s likely that prehistoric humans were eating wild onions thousands of years before that!

--no wonder they became a popular crop back then; onions could be stored for long periods, added much-needed flavor to otherwise bland foods (long before spices were widely available), and grew well under many different conditions.
 
While many cultures used onions as food and medicine, the ancient Egyptians took their admiration for onions to another level. It’s not an overstatement to say that onions were revered in ancient Egypt, holding deep spiritual power and meaning. Researchers believe the round shape and concentric rings symbolized eternal life to the ancient Egyptians. Onions were depicted in paintings on ancient pyramid walls and used in religious and funerary ceremonies. They were even a part of mummification! In one extraordinary example, the preserved mummy of King Ramesses IV was buried with onions in his eye sockets. According to researchers at the Global Egyptian Museum, “The king's eyes were replaced by artificial ones made of small onions, a unique case in mummification. In addition, each nostril was covered with the skin of an onion; it is possible that onions were used for their well-known antiseptic qualities.” Wow!
 
The oldest written recipes, carved on clay tablets dating to 1730 BC Mesopotamia, are full of onions. For example, one of the “recipes” that’s been translated from the ancient Akkadian language reads, “Meat is used. You prepare water. You add fine-grained salt, dried barley cakes, onion, Persian shallot, and milk. You crush and add leek and garlic.” With onions, shallots, leeks, and garlic, that’s almost all the alliums in one dish!
 
For my next post, we will pick up on the history of the onion with its proliferation around the ancient world in the 1st millennia B.C.
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* What the heck is a paleoarcheobotanist? These are archeologists who specialize in the study of ancient plant remains and investigate the ways humans have interacted with plants throughout time. Sounds like a very cool job!  ​

No, we are not a baby chicken. We’re a fledgling food business in a food incubator! 
 
So what is a food incubator? A food incubator helps new food entrepreneurs develop their businesses, build assets, and achieve benchmarks towards business stability. It may be run by a nonprofit or a for-profit business.

Being part of the “Alchemist Kitchen Incubator Program” over the past year has been awesome. With the support of the Incubator, I have launched my business and been able to meet many goals for my business along the way. Boone’s was one of a handful of new, local Sacramento food businesses that were in the inaugural group and now we have grown to ten businesses in AKIP.  
 
Jacob Sacks is the coordinator of the incubator program. With his steady, loyal, good-natured demeanor, he is a supportive and calming ally to all of us.  Jacob has been an important part of the Boone's journey. When I have a small success or get over a hurdle, Jacob shares in my excitement. He helps motivate me through the slumps and slogs, through paperwork and logistical details. Jacob is great at steady prodding when I need it. He is always there for me to bounce ideas off. If I’m stuck on a question and Jacob also doesn’t know the answer, he has a network of other people and organizations who can usually help. There are so many things to learn when starting any business, and it’s especially tough as a solo entrepreneur. So it’s critical to have a team on your side. 
 
In May, the Alchemist Incubator took the huge step of renting a shared commercial kitchen. So Boone’s operates out of a large kitchen shared with other new food businesses. Besides the benefit of subsidized (lower) kitchen rental rates, the shared kitchen has really increased comradery and information-sharing among us. More on the shared kitchen in another upcoming post!
 
I highly recommend aspiring entrepreneurs join an incubator if given the opportunity. However, be careful as not all are the same. Some are for-profit and require sharing a percentage of business profits. As with anything, before you sign on the dotted line, make sure you know what you are getting into. I feel very lucky to have the support of Alchemist CDC!

For more info, visit: https://alchemistcdc.org/incubator/

I love pickled red onions for many reasons! 
 
Last year, my partner and I hosted two young transgender women from Honduras while they applied for asylum and acclimated to life in America. They had just been released from ICE detention when they flew to Sacramento to live with us. The ladies had been through so much, having walked from Honduras to escape violence, and very little was familiar to them. But when I brought out a jar of my pickled red onions for one of our first meals together, their faces lit up. They excitedly spoke in Spanish too fast for me to comprehend, but I didn’t need to understand the words to know that this was a food they both knew well. They started showing us photos on their phones of various Honduran dishes with pickled red onions, talking longingly and passionately about their favorites. From then on, I had a team of in-house onion tasters!
 
Pickled red onions connect people from around the world because they are a very cross-cultural food. This is another reason I think pickled red onions are wonderful!
 
Here are some other examples of pickled red onions from around the world…
 
In both northern and southern Indian cuisine, pickled red onions are served alongside roti (flatbread), tandoori dishes, and many other meals. They are called sirka pyaz or sirke wale pyaaz in Hindi. Often the red onions used are a small baby onion. They are made with white vinegar, sugar, beet (for more vibrant color) and a spicy pepper. Some recipes add more interesting ingredients like ginger, cloves, and even cardamom.
 
In Scandanavian cuisine, pickled red onions (picklad rödlök in Swedish) are very common, as are many pickled foods. According to Swedish celebrity chef Niklas Ekstedt, “A Swedish feast cannot be without pickles.” The standard vinegar pickling solution starts with a super strong vinegar called ättika. The general Swedish rule for pickling is 1-2-3: 1 part ättika, 2 parts sugar, and 3 parts water.
 
In South America, there are many variations of pickled red onions, or cebollas encurtidas. They seem to be particularly ubiquitous in Ecuadorian cuisine where red onions are pickled in a variety of ways, with vinegar or lime juice. In Ecuador, they use a special type of red onion, called cebolla paitena, that is actually a red shallot. I’ve heard the flavor described as more between a garlic and an onion. This multi-bulbed allium has over the years been replaced by the more common red onion and there is now a concerted effort in Ecuador to bring back the traditional cebollas paitenas.
 
Pickled red onions accompany many Middle Eastern dishes, where sumac is often added to give extra tartness and lemony flavor. In Egypt, where onions were first depicted as a food in tombs 5300 years old, pickled red onions (basal mekhalel) are common. Throughout Central America, pickled red onions (cebollas en escabeche) are a condiment found on most restaurant tables. And, of course, pickled red onions accompany dishes across the spectrum of classic and “New American” foods, like BBQ, soul food, hamburgers, sandwiches, and salads.
 
Wow, these are just some of the cuisines where pickled red onions are found! Now that we live in a globalized world with so many fusions, the possibilities for pickled red onions are endless. Please send me a note if you have had pickled red onions with a type of food not mentioned!