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Premium Hybrid Onions

 

Premium Hybrid Onions

 

Premium Hybrid Onions

These best-selling red, yellow and white onion varieties are proven and tested, offering an appealing globe shape and full, rich flavor. Harvested, packed and shipped fresh every day in a wide range of pack styles, our hybrid onions deliver consistent quality and customer-proven sales performance!

Yellow Onions

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About Onions

Peel away the centuries and discover the rich layers of history that have made the humble onion a favorite around the world.

History of Onions

Because onions are small and their tissues leave little or no trace, there is no conclusive opinion about the exact location and time of their birth. Many archaeologists, botanists and food historians believe onions originated in central Asia. Other research suggests that onions were first grown in Iran and West Pakistan.

It is presumed that our predecessors discovered and started eating wild onions very early – long before farming or even writing was invented. Very likely, this humble vegetable was a staple in the prehistoric diet.

Most researchers agree that the onion has been cultivated for 5000 years or more. Since onions grew wild in various regions, they were probably consumed for thousands of years and domesticated simultaneously all over the world. Onions may be one of the earliest cultivated crops because they were less perishable than other foods of the time, were transportable, were easy to grow and could be grown in a variety of soils and climates. In addition, the onion was useful for sustaining human life. Onions prevented thirst and could be dried and preserved for later consumption when food might be scarce.

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While the place and time of the onion’s origin are still a mystery, there are many documents, from very early times, which describe its importance as a food and its use in art, medicine and mummification.
Onions grew in Chinese gardens as early as 5000 years ago and they are referenced in some of the oldest Vedic writings from India. In Egypt, onions can be traced back to 3500 B.C. There is evidence that the Sumerians were growing onions as early as 2500 B.C. One Sumerian text dated to about 2500 B.C. tells of someone plowing over the city governor’s onion patch.

In Egypt, onions were actually an object of worship. The onion symbolized eternity to the Egyptians who buried onions along with their Pharaohs. The Egyptians saw eternal life in the anatomy of the onion because of its circle-within-a-circle structure. Paintings of onions appear on the inner walls of the pyramids and in the tombs of both the Old Kingdom and the New Kingdom. The onion is mentioned as a funeral offering and onions are depicted on the banquet tables of the great feasts – both large, peeled onions and slender, immature ones. They were shown upon the altars of the gods.

Frequently, a priest is pictured holding onions in his hand or covering an altar with a bundle of their leaves or roots. In mummies, onions have frequently been found in the pelvic regions of the body, in the thorax, flattened against the ears and in front of the collapsed eyes. Flowering onions have been found on the chest, and onions have been found attached to the soles of the feet and along the legs. King Ramses IV, who died in 1160 B.C., was entombed with onions in his eye sockets. Some Egyptologists theorize that onions may have been used because it was believed that their strong scent and/or magical powers would prompt the dead to breathe again. Other Egyptologists believe it was because onions were known for their strong antiseptic qualities, which construed as magical, would be handy in the afterlife.

Onions are mentioned to have been eaten by the Israelites in the Bible. In Numbers 11:5, the children of Israel lament the meager desert diet enforced by the Exodus: “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers and the melons and the leeks and the onions and the garlic.”

In India as early as the sixth century B.C., the famous medical treatise Charaka – Sanhita celebrates the onion as medicine – a diuretic, good for digestion, the heart, the eyes and the joints.

Likewise, Dioscorides, a Greek physician in first century A.D., noted several medicinal uses of onions. The Greeks used onions to fortify athletes for the Olympic Games. Before competition, athletes would consume pounds of onions, drink onion juice and rub onions on their bodies.

The Romans ate onions regularly and carried them on journeys to their provinces in England and Germany. Pliny the Elder, Roman’s keen-eyed observer, wrote of Pompeii’s onions and cabbages. Before he was overcome and killed by the volcano’s heat and fumes, Pliny the Elder catalogued the Roman beliefs about the efficacy of the onion to cure vision, induce sleep, heal mouth sores, dog bites, toothaches, dysentery and lumbago. Excavators of the doomed city would later find gardens where, just as Pliny had said, onions had grown. The bulbs had left behind telltale cavities in the ground.

The Roman gourmet Apicius, credited with writing one of the first cookbooks (which dates to the eighth and ninth centuries A.D.), included many references to onions.

By the Middle Ages, the three main vegetables of European cuisine were beans, cabbage and onions. In addition to serving as a food for both the poor and the wealthy, onions were prescribed to alleviate headaches, snakebites and hair loss. They were also used as rent payments and wedding gifts.

Later, the first Pilgrims brought onions with them on the Mayflower. However, they found that strains of wild onions already grew throughout North America. Native American Indians used wild onions in a variety of ways, eating them raw or cooked, as a seasoning or as a vegetable. Such onions were also used in syrups, as poultices, as an ingredient in dyes and even as toys. According to diaries of colonists, bulb onions were planted as soon as the Pilgrim fathers could clear the land in 1648.

Onion Trivia

What compound in onions brings tears to your eyes?
Sulfuric compounds. To cut down on the crying, chill the onion and cut into the root end of the onion last.

How many pounds of fresh and storage type onions does the average American eat per year?
19 pounds.

How many truck loads of onions are consumed each day?
Nearly 380 semi-truck loads.

What country boasts the highest per capita consumption of onions?
Libya, with 66.8 pounds of onions consumed per person each year.

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How many calories are in a serving of onions?
30 calories.

What are the three colors of onions sold in most grocery stores?
Yellow, red, and white.

How many acres of onions are planted in the United States each year?
145,000 acres.

How many onion farmers are there in the United States?
About 1,000.

According to an old English Rhyme, the thickness of an onion skin can help predict what?
The severity of the winter. Thin skins mean a mild winter is coming while thick skins indicate a rough winter ahead.

What should you eat to get rid of onion breath?
Parsley.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much did the largest onion ever grown weigh?
10 pounds 14 ounces. It was grown by V. Throup of Silsden, England.

What Beatles song has “onion” in its title?
Glass Onion. (The White Album)

In what famous story was the Seven-of-Spades threatened to be beheaded for bringing the cook tulip-roots instead of onions?
Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Frequently Asked Questions


From cutting an onion to storing onions and everything in-between, these are some of the most commonly asked questions.

Q: How can I reduce tearing when cutting an onion?

A: To reduce tearing when cutting onions, first chill the onions for 30 minutes. Then, cut off the top and peel the outer layers leaving the root end intact. (The root end has the highest concentration of sulphuric compounds that make your eyes tear.)

Q: How many cups of chopped onion will one medium onion yield?

A: One medium onion equals about 1 cup chopped onion.

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Q: What is the best way to store onions?

A: Dry bulb onions should be kept in a cool, dry, well ventilated place. Do not store whole onions in plastic bags. Lack of air movement will reduce their storage life. Sweet onions have a higher water content than storage onions, making them more susceptible to bruising, and a shorter shelf life than storage varieties. One way to extend the shelf life of a sweet or high water content onion is to wrap each one in paper towels or newspaper and place them in the refrigerator to keep them cool and dry.

Q: How do I store whole peeled onions?

A: Whole peeled onions should be properly refrigerated at 40°F or below. (Source: USDA)

Q: After I cut or use part of an onion, how long will it keep?

A: Chopped or sliced onions can be stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator at the proper temperature of 40°F or below for 7 to 10 days (Source: USDA). For pre-cut fresh or frozen products, always use and follow manufactures “use by” dates.

Q: Why do my onions taste bitter after sauteing?

A: High heat makes onions bitter. When sauteing onions, always use low or medium heat.

Q: I am worried about having “onion breath.” Is there anything I can do to alleviate this situation?

A: Although onion breath normally comes from eating raw onions, a mild raw onion may cause no odor. Cooked onions leave virtually no odor on the breath. When you are concerned about your breath, use these helpful tips to freshen your breath.

Eat a sprig or two of parsley, it’s known as nature’s natural breath sweetener.
Rinse your mouth with equal parts of lemon juice and water.
Chew a citrus peel.
Q: How do I remove the smell of onions from my hands and/or cooking equipment?

A: Rub your hands or cooking equipment with lemon juice. If your pots or pans are made of aluminum, cast iron, or carbon-steel, rub them with salt instead.

Q: What should I look for when purchasing onions?

A: When purchasing onions, look for dry outer skins free of spots or blemishes. The onion should be heavy for its size with no scent.

Q: I want to use raw onion. How can I reduce the pungency?

A: To reduce the pungency, sharpness or aftertaste of a raw onion, cut them the way you plan to use them and place into a bowl of ice water to stand for 1 1/2 hours before draining. If time is at a premium, place onions in a strainer or sieve. Run water through onions for at least a minute.

Q: Which color of onion (yellow, red, or white) should I use and does each color taste different?

A: Refer to the Color, Flavor, Usage Guide for a chart to help you choose which onion to use in a recipe.

Q: Are onions healthy?

A: Yes. Onions are high in vitamin C and are a good source of fiber and other key nutrients. Onions are fat free and low in calories, yet add abundant flavor to a wide variety of foods.