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
88 percent of the crop is devoted to yellow onion production,
with about 7 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. (See table
of domestic onion availability).
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).
|
Domestic
Onion Production
Spring/summer
Fresh Onion Availability
| Area |
Trade
Name |
Production |
Features |
| TEXAS |
|
Rio
Grande Valley & Winter Garden
|
SuperSweet®,
Texas Spring Sweet®, & Texas 1015 SuperSweet®
|
March
- July
|
|
| West
& High Plains |
|
June
- August |
|
| GEORGIA |
| Vidalia
|
Vidalia® Onions |
April
- June |
CA
Storage July - November |
| ARIZONA |
| Arizona |
Grand
Canyon Sweets™ |
May
- June |
|
| HAWAII |
| Maui |
Maui® Sweets
Kula® Sweets
|
Year
Round |
Limited
Mainland Availability |
| Oahu |
Hawaiian
Hula Sweets™ |
March-October |
|
| WASHINGTON |
| Walla
Walla |
Walla
Walla Sweets® |
June
- August |
|
| NEW
MEXICO |
| New
Mexico |
Nu-Mex
Sweets |
June
- August |
|
| South
Central |
Carzalia
Sweets |
|
|
| CALIFORNIA |
| Desert
Valleys |
Sweet
Imperials™ |
April
- June |
|
| San
Joaquin Valley |
|
May
- August |
|
|
Coastal Valleys |
|
June
- September |
|
| COLORADO |
| Colorado |
|
July
- September |
|
| NOTE:
Various limited production spring/summer fresh "sweet"
onions are available on a seasonal basis from other locations
including, but not limited to, California, Colorado, Michigan,
New York, North Carolina, Oregon, and Washington. |
Fall/winter
Storage Onion Availability
| Area |
Trade
Name |
Production |
Features |
| CALIFORNIA |
|
California
Southern High Desert Valleys
|
|
September
- March
|
|
| NEVADA |
| Nevada |
|
September
- March |
Mostly
Whites |
| NEW
YORK |
| New
York |
|
August
- May |
Mostly
Mediums |
| MICHIGAN |
| Michigan |
|
September
- March |
Mostly
Mediums |
| OHIO |
| Ohio |
|
August
- April |
All
Sizes |
| MINNESOTA,
NORTH DAKOTA, WISCONSIN |
| Minnesota,
North Dakota,Wisconsin |
|
September
- March |
|
| ILLINOIS,
INDIANA, IOWA, SOUTH DAKOTA |
| Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, South Dakota |
|
September
- March |
Limited
Production |
| IDAHO
- EASTERN OREGON |
| Idaho
- Eastern Oregon |
Idaho-Eastern
Oregon Spanish Onions™ |
August
- April |
Large
Size |
| WEST/CENTRAL
OREGON |
| West/Central
Oregon |
|
August
- April |
|
| WASHINGTON |
| Washington |
|
July
- May |
|
| COLORADO |
| Colorado |
|
August
- April |
|
| UTAH |
| Utah |
|
August
- March |
|
| NEW
MEXICO |
| New
Mexico |
|
September-
December |
Limited
Production |
|
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