Onions

Culture

The onion family, Allium, is finely tuned to its natural habitat, flood plains. Wild onion and wild garlic grow in the spillways beside rivers where silt is deposited. They are among the first plants to emerge in the spring, their tubular leaves are able to reach through the silt. Spillways dry out in the summer and the onions go into a dormant phase protecting their bulbs with a papery skin. When the weather cools and the wet season returns the onions start to grow again.

There are many types of onion such as leeks, Spanish, Egyptian, shallots, yellow Dutch, white, purple, chives, wild leek, wild onion, wild garlic. Soil type also imparts unique flavours to any onion. The alkaline soils of Vidallia County Georgia makes sweet, almost flavourless onions. Muck with its high organic content and moisture retention grows the biggest onions and most commercial onions are grown on drained marshes. Dry sandy soil makes the onions small but sharply flavoured.

Cultivation.

Onions are biannuals. They produce a small bulb the first year and a flower stalk and seeds the second year. Most growers start with the second year bulb. It is planted at two to three times its length with the pointed side up. Fertilize with compost just before or just after emergence. Onions cab be crowded by their own kind but do not do well with competition. Leaves and bulbs can be eaten in the spring and early summer. Flower stalks need to be removed as soon as they appear otherwise it will leave a tough ring and skin in the center of the onion. Some gardeners break the leaves over if they haven't fallen over on their own by mid summer. This forces the bulb to grow. Most leeks like Autumn Giant need a long growing season. They are usually started indoors in February and harvested in October and November. They are able to withstand hard frosts and cold winters. Some French varieties like Kilma have a shorter growing season and can be ready mid summer.

Cooking

It is hard to imagine cooking without onions. They add depth and character to most vegetable or meat dishes. Sauteed with butter and herb vinegar , deep fried, raw, baked or even boiled, onions retain flavour and enhance the flavour of other ingredients.

Canning

Onions don't preserve well. They need to be sauteed first if used in other recipes like tomato sauce. Small onions and wild leeks can be pickled but it's a lot of work for little return. The green part of onions turn hard and chewy when preserved.