Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
usually called Grano or Granex, depending on the specific strain. This variety was deve-
loped in Texas from seed originally imported from the island of Tenerife off the coast of
Spain. Scientists at a state-sponsored agricultural experimental station crossed this onion
with another to come up with a whole string of sweet onions that they eventually exported
to growing areas around the country. The sole exception is the sweet onion from Walla
Walla, Washington, which has a somewhat tangled lineage. Walla Walla Sweets (it is a
copyrighted trademark) descend from Italian seed acquired on the island of Corsica by a
French soldier. He brought it to the United States when he immigrated in the early 1900s
and introduced it to Walla Walla's Italian farmers.
Just because sweet onions are grown in so many places doesn't mean they can be grown
anywhere. An onion's character is the result of a combination of genetics and environment.
Some onion varieties tend to be more pungent than others. But a normally mild onion
grown in the wrong place can pack something of a wallop or, alternatively, have no more
flavor than water. Three environmental factors affect onion flavor. First is the chemical
composition of the soil. Just as that distinctive onion flavor comes from sulfurous com-
pounds, the strongest onions are grown in soil that is rich in sulfates. Second is watering.
The strongest flavor belongs to onions that get the least water. Finally, temperature during
the growing season can affect the pungency of an onion: the hotter the temperature, the
hotter the onion. Most onions are planted in the spring and harvested in the fall, but sweet
onions are planted in the fall in places where they can overwinter, to take advantage of the
cooler temperatures.
As tangled as the whole onion family might be, that is just the beginning of the allium
confusion. You also have to think about all those fragrant cousins - shallots, garlic and
leeks.
Shallots look like brown pearl onions, except they are a bunching variety. This means
that if you plant one shallot, you'll grow a whole clump of shallots, which will be joined at
the base, with one side noticeably flattened where it grew next to its neighbor. This point
is important to remember. There are onions that look quite a bit like shallots and are often
sold as shallots. But they are not shallots, and the first clue will be that they lack that bot-
tom junction scar and one flat side. Don't be fooled; they will also lack shallots' depth and
complexity of flavor.
Garlic is so varied that it probably deserves its own family tree. Walk a farmers' market,
and you might spot as many as half a dozen different varieties. Although each garlic has its
own slightly different characteristics, there are two major families that you need to know
