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About
Onions: Seasonality
Onions
for All Seasons and All Tastes
Onions
can be divided into two categories: spring/summer fresh onions
and fall/winter storage onions.
Spring/summer
Fresh Onions
Spring/summer fresh onions are available in yellow, red and white
throughout their season, March through August. Fresh onions can
be identified by their thin, light-colored skin. Because they
have a higher water content, they are typically sweeter and milder
than storage onions. This higher water content also makes them
more susceptible to bruising.
With
its delicate taste, the spring/summer onion is an ideal choice
for salads and other fresh and lightly-cooked dishes.
Fall/winter
Storage Onions
Fall/winter storage onions are available August through April.
Also available in yellow, red and white, storage onions have multiple
layers of thick, dark, papery skin. Storage onions have an intense
flavor and a higher percentage of solids.
Storage
onions are the best choice for savory dishes that require longer
cooking times or more flavor.
The
Color of Onions
Onions come in three colors - yellow, red, and white. Approximately
87 percent of the crop is devoted to yellow onion production,
with about 8 percent red onions and 5 percent white onions.
Yellow
onions are full-flavored and are a reliable standby for cooking
almost anything. Yellow onions turn a rich, dark brown when cooked
and give French Onion Soup its tangy sweet flavor. The red onion,
with its wonderful color, is a good choice for fresh uses or in
grilling and char-broiling. White onions are the traditional onion
used in classic Mexican cuisine. They have a golden color and
sweet flavor when sautéed.
Onion
Sizes
Onions range in size from less than 1 inch in diameter (creamers/boilers)
to more than 4.5 inches in diameter (super colossal). The most
common sizes of onions sold in the United States are the medium
(2 to 3 ¼ inches in diameter) and the jumbo (3 to 3 ¾
inches in diameter).
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