Why Onions?

 By Farmer Richard with Gwen Anderson

Red Cipollini Onions drying in the Greenhouse

Onions were one of the first vegetables that came to Richard’s attention as having significant health benefits.  Four years ago, we published an article called Alliums to Fight Cancer that delved into some of the health benefits of onions and garlic specifically regarding their cancer fighting properties. Onions also boast the ability to help prevent osteoporosis, lower blood pressure, lower the level of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, have anti-clotting benefits, as well as being anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antiviral. This is due largely to the organosulfur compounds that onions contain.  Organosulfur compounds contain some powerful antioxidants, including quercetin and other flavonoids that encourage glutathione production.  Quercetin is known to slow tumor growth, especially in colon cancer, promote prostate health, and is an antihistamine.  Flavonoids may reduce the risk of stroke as well as Parkinson’s and cardiovascular disease.  One study done by the Journal of Hypertension in 2017 reported that participants that consistently ate more alliums (onions and garlic, to name a few) reduced their risk of cardiovascular disease by 64%.  Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that boosts the immune system and protects the heart as well as removing toxins.  Sulfur, found in organosulfur compounds, is also the main component that assists with protein synthesis and creating cell structures.

Onion field from June this year

The organosulfur compounds are most beneficial when raw, but you can maximize the benefit of cooked onions (and garlic, too!) by allowing them to set for 10 minutes after cutting them before cooking them.  This process allows the enzymes released by the onions while being cut to fully react with the sulfur-containing molecules, converting them into their beneficial forms.  Aside from the organosulfur compounds, onions are also an excellent source of vitamin C and phytonutrients.  Phytonutrients help overall in maintaining good health and contain anticancer and antimicrobial properties.  Onions also contain fiber and folic acid, a B vitamin that helps make healthy new cells.  They are low calorie, very low in sodium, and have no fat or cholesterol.

Egyptian Walking Onion

It was over 40 years ago when Richard first learned about the health benefits of onions.  Since then, he has persisted in finding varieties of onion that can be available year round locally, allowing us to eat some form of onion every day.  Besides the huge health benefits, onions add flavor to almost every meal.  Our goal is to have one or more members of the onion/garlic family in every box of our 30 box season.  We start the season with perennial chives and two multiplying heirloom onions, potato onions and Egyptian Walking Onions, as well as the wild ramps harvested from our woods.  These meet our onion needs until our grown-from-seed transplants are ready.  We grow about 379,000 onion plants in our greenhouses, starting in late February, and transplant them to the field in early April when they are ready for the move

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We are presently delivering the very fast growing sweet Spanish type called Zoey in this week’s CSA boxes.  The very fast growing Spanish varieties, including Sierra Blanca which we delivered previously, are very mild, even when raw.  The later, slower growing varieties allow us to store onions for six months or more!  These storage onions have a stronger flavor than the earlier varieties when raw, due to the higher amount of sulfur compounds, which also aid in storage.  When cooked, much of the sulfur volatilizes and leaves us with a sweet caramelized onion flavor.  This is because onions also contain a high amount of sugar, which becomes more pronounced when the sulfur compounds break down.

Green Scallions planted on raised beds with reflective plastic mulch.

Onions are sometimes challenging to grow because they grow slowly and are poor weed competitors.  They also have a tiny insect pest called the onion thrip that lives in the growth point of the onion.  The thrips pierce tiny holes in the young leaves, which allows bacteria to enter the plant.  That bacteria can later cause a soft rot in the top of a mature dry onion.  To solve these problems we plant our tiny greenhouse onion plants into a raised bed covered with a reflective plastic mulch that prevents the thrips from finding the onions.  It works!  Without the thrips, we have almost no neck rot, even in a wet, stormy year.

Onions require regular water to thrive.  Our onions received water with fertilizer that includes sea weeds, micro and macro nutrients and beneficial bacteria through the line buried under each row at least once a week.  Our irrigation/fertigation crew did a great job this year.  Alejandro also did regular foliar applications to provide additional nutrients and for disease prevention.  The result: a record yield with excellent quality that should supply all boxes through December and still allow produce plus for your winter stash!  This year’s crop appears to be our best ever!

Red Onions and Shallots safely drying in the greenhouse

Last week, we did a big onion and shallot harvest.  Of our 1.8 acres of onions, two-thirds are safely stored in the greenhouse and cooler right now.  We hope to finish the harvest later this week or early next week.  We estimate the total yield form this crop will equate to about 9 onions in each box for the remainder of the season!  The harvest so far has been abundant, as it was earlier this season with the early purple and green scallions and then purple Cipollini onions we delivered.  We bring onions in from the field when there is still some green in the top.  To leave them in the field longer risks sun burn on hot days and bacteria entering the neck.  We hand pull all of our onions when ready for harvest, then leave them to dry briefly in the field.  After a day or two, the onions are crated, hauled back to the farm and organized onto our greenhouse benches to finish drying.  The greenhouse roof is now covered with an 85% opaque cloth, which helps shade the onions from direct sunlight and reduces the temperature in the greenhouse.  After 1-2 weeks of drying, we top and clean the onions before transferring them to a cold, dry cooler for storage.

Shallots drying in the greenhouse

Our production system involves a great deal of manual labor!  Conventional onion production involves nasty neonicotinoid systemic insecticides to control the thrips.  Neonicotinoids are an insecticide that has been linked to many adverse human health and ecological effects, including decimating the honey bee and bird populations.  Conventional producers also use a mechanical topper to top and clean onions.  We have a mechanical topper, but find that it causes damage to the onion, so we chose to top them by hand instead.

While growing onions is challenging and labor intensive, we firmly believe the benefits of providing them year round makes the challenge well worth the effort.  We hope you have gained a greater appreciation for the health powerhouse that is the onion.