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| Sweet On Onions (March 2006) |
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New varieties are turning this garden fare into a fruit
By Larry Reichenberger
Onions are drawing more cheers and fewer tears these days—consumption of these flavorful vegetables has soared by 50% in the past decade. The increased availability of sweet onions, with their sugar content that rivals many fruits, is the major reason. Whether picked from the supermarket shelf or plucked from the home garden, sweet onions have become one of nature’s most delectable offerings in recent times.
"Plant breeders and onion producers have spent decades perfecting sweet onions," says Jan Roberts-Dominguez, an award-winning food writer from Corvallis, Ore. "Those efforts have combined with consumer demands for healthier foods and more fresh produce in their diets to make sweet onions a rage."
Taste the difference
Roberts-Dominquez, who serves as national spokesperson for OSO Sweet onions, explains that while no standard exists, sweet onions generally contain at least 6% sugar. "Some types have recorded sugar levels of up to 15% while traditional storage onions usually have 3 to 5%," she says.
"Sweet onions also contain lower levels of the sulfur compounds that cause tears, harsh taste, and indigestion. Add to this the fact that the best sweet onions are grown in soil with low amounts of sulfur. Plus, sweet onions contain more water, which dilutes the sulfur. This explains their mild taste."
Sweet onions were introduced in the Pacific Northwest early last century, but they've been made famous by farmers in a 20-county area of Georgia. "Much of the quality of sweet onions is due to the soil and environment where they're grown and savvy farmers of that area know they have a special thing with Vidalia onions," Roberts-Dominguez says.
However, the Vidalias are joined by other types including SpringSweets and 1015 SuperSweets from Texas, Sweet Imperials from California, Walla Walla sweet onions from Washington, Maui sweets from Hawaii, and most recently the OSO Sweets from South America. On an Internet Web site, www.sweetonionsource.com, Roberts-Dominguez provides more information on selecting sweet onions and gives dozens of tasty recipes. She also provides contacts to order onions as well as the onion sets to plant in your own garden.
"The marketing rights to some onions, such as the Vidalias and Walla Wallas, are protected, but it's perfectly legal to grow them for your own use. Because the environment is different, they may not taste quite the same. But homegrown sweet onions should provide all the characteristics people enjoy," she says.
Pick a variety
"Everybody wants sweet onions, and varieties are available for every part of the country," says Greg Brown, v.p. of Brown's Omaha Plant Farms, Omaha, Texas.
Brown explains that sweet onion varieties differ by day length. Day length tells the plant when to start forming a bulb. Short-day onions (like Vidalia and Maui types) are suited to the southern areas. They're planted in the fall so they have ample growth when the right day length occurs the following spring. This makes for larger, sweeter onions.
Meanwhile, intermediate types (like Hybrid Candy) are suited to mid regions while long-day types (Walla Walla) grow as far north as Michigan. "It's best to start these latter types from onion sets to give the plants a one-month head start," says Brown.
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