Evidently, wild onions were a staple food found worldwide in prehistoric diets and were one of the first cultivated crops. Strains of wild onions grew throughout North America and were used extensively by Native Americans for food and medicine. Pilgrims brought onions with them on the Mayflower to be a garden crop. Onions are an allium vegetable along with shallots, scallions, leeks, chives and garlic. There are many onion varieties but all have similar health benefits. Sweet onions including Walla Walla and the southern favorite Vidalia are best enjoyed in spring and summer. This includes Vidalia knob or bulb onions similar to large scallions.
Peak Time: April to July
Average Price: $1.20 each
Tips for Selection and Storage: Sweet onions taste so sweet because they have less sulfur and thus less pungency than other onions, which makes you able to taste all the sugar naturally. This is also why they cause fewer tears as you chop. For a sweet onion to be labeled “Vidalia” it must be grown in a specified region that includes 13 counties and portions of seven others, all in Georgia. There are other seasonal sweet onions like Bermuda, Walla Walla (Washington) and Maui (Hawaii) that are sold by these names also because of where they are grown. Generic sweet onions can be found year-round. Look for medium size onions that have no bruises, cuts, mold or sprouting. To store, wrap in paper towels and hang in pantyhose tied between each onion in a cool dry place. You can also store these individually wrapped in a single layer in the refrigerator or in another cool dry place in your house. These can last for months. Vidalia knob or other bulb onions are found fresh only in late spring and early summer. For knob or baby sweet onions, look for sturdy green stems. Store these unwashed in damp paper towels in a storage bag in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Tips for Preparation: Sweet onions are an excellent choice for eating raw as in garnishes, salads, dips or sandwiches. How about a real southern sweet onion sandwich – nothing but mayo, Vidalias and a garden ripe tomato! Of course, roasting or grilling sweet onions also brings out that caramelized onion taste. Yum. Because of their mild taste, sweet onions should not be used if you need a strong onion flavor in your recipe – however, you will also shed more tears!
Nutritional Highlights: All onions including sweet onions are good sources of vitamin C, biotin, vitamin B6, manganese and chromium with fair amounts of phosphorus, copper, potassium, thiamin and folate. A medium onion contains 2.8 grams of dietary fiber and only 60 calories. However, the super stars of onions are the phytonutrients. These include flavonoids like quercetin and many sulfur containing compounds that add to the special health properties of the allium family of vegetables like the onion family. These powerful phytonutrients add to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory power that vitamin C and manganese provide to maximize the cardiovascular and cancer preventing benefits of onions.
For a recipe for Sweet Onion and Herb Quiche, click here.
