My five year old is so into the whole Star Wars culture that, last week, he announced that he wanted to see the new movie The Clone Wars in the theater.  Excuse me?  That’s right, in the dark, loud, scary theater where disorienting trailers come at you without warning, with the volume so pumped up covering one’s ears is the only option.  After viewing the previews online, we decided that this animated bit of fluff looked entertaining enough, and we all went to see the spectacle, in part, because I sensed my opening to connect to my passion - teaching my kids about good food.

A number of years ago, Free Range Studios came out with this delicious parody, with a cast consisting of Obi Wan Cannoli, Princess Lettuce, Ham Solo, Chewbroccoli, and of course, Cuke Skywalker who gets urged to “Search your peelings” and “Use the Farm.”  What I love about this funny quickie is that it provides a starting place for me to talk with my kids about whole, organic, locally grown food.  We laugh at the silliness together, and the message hangs on a familiar scaffold of understanding, as we do our best to use the farm - or at least the Farmers’ Market.

The day after seeing the movie, we headed to Malibu Canyon for a short hike with some friends when we hit some nasty traffic.  We crept along, and Ryan asked if he could show his pal, Audrey, Store Wars on my iPhone.  ”You’ll like it,” he explained.  ”It talks about how food is better without chemicals.”

Well, that’s close enough for now…