The onion is one of the ancient, venerable foods with a fascinating history. People began using onions way before recorded history, making it one of the earliest of all cultivated crops, and now one of the most widely used vegetable in the world. As American Author Maggie Waldron put it, “It’s probably illegal to make soup, stew and casseroles without plenty of onions.”
There are over 300 varieties of onions. On our farm we grew two varieties this year:
- Alisa Craig, a sweet Spanish type onion with delicious, juicy, mild-tasting flesh, but does not store long.
- New York Early, a wonderful all-purpose yellow onion, stores well.
Storage and Selection:
Onions should feel firm and heavy, Their skin should be shiny and the skin around the neck should be very tightly closed. Store onions in a cool, dry and well ventilated place. Light can cause bitterness so keep them somewhere dark.
Culinary uses:
Onion are an assumed part of practically all savory recipes, and for this reason risk being overlooked as a vegetable in their own right, they are sublime when baked, grilled or stewed to a caramelized mass – onions contain substances which, when slow cooked, are many times sweeter than sugar.
Information from: The Produce Bible by Leanne Kitchen