Steve Zimmer, age 10, of Champaign, Ill., for his question:
WHERE DO MOST ONIONS COME FROM?
The onion is a member of the amaryllis plant family. Originally onions grew only in Mongolia but they are now found all over the world. The onion came to America as early as 1750 and it has since been a popular vegetable.
The leading onion growing state by far is California, with a production of almost twice as many pounds as the second state, Texas. Other leading onion growing states, in the order of their importance, are New York, Oregon, Michigan, Idaho and Colorado. Leading international growers of onions include Mexico, Italy and Spain.
The onion's odor is due to its special oil. This oil can easily turn into a vapor, which moves out into the air when an onion is cut or peeled. The vapor then affects nerves in the nose that are connected with the eyes. And suddenly the onion can bring tears to the eyes.
Onions are one of the most popular of all vegetables. They are also very versatile. Some cooks dice up raw onions and put them in salads. Onions can also be cooked or pickled and also used as flavoring or seasoning. Onions go into soups, stews, meat loaf and turkey dressing. And some people couldn't face a hot dog or hamburger unless it was properly laced with onions.
Onions are generally classified into two groups: American, or strong onions, and foreign, or mild onions. The strong type includes the Yellow Globe and the flatter Ebenezer. The foreign type are mostly Spanish and Bermuda onions. These large, mild onions are most often eaten uncooked.
Most onions that are sold in the stores are raised from seeds. But most home gardeners select onion sets. Both sets and seeds are used to produce scallions, a popular name for the young onions that are harvested before they have developed bulbs.
Onions that are planted as winter crops are much milder in taste and odor than onions that are planted during the summer in cooler regions.
Onions are easy to grow from seed and may be either field grown directly or first planted in flats and allowed to produce small bulbs, or sets. These sets are dried and shipped by commercial growers and are then planted by home gardeners or commercial farmers.
Onions don't seem to worry too much about the temperature. They can be planted at any time of the year as long as the earth is rich and kept moist. The seeds or sets should be sown four to six weeks before the last frost in the spring or during the late summer for a fall crop.
The onion crop should be allowed to ripen in the field until the tops of the plants start to bend and break. The bulbs are then ready to be pulled up.