Obsessed with Walla Walla Sweet Onions
I was in Walla Walla recently and I fear I might have been swept away by onion fever. As I was driving out of town, I planned to stop at one of the roadside stands selling freshly harvested onions so sweet you can eat them raw. I was a little early, but flagged down a woman on a three-wheeler and asked: "When are you open?" Come on back to the packing shed, she said.
There, among stacks of sacks piled 10 feet high, the crew sorted the large, the medium and small onions with the papery skins into bright red nylon net bags designed so the fragrant veggies can breath. One of the women loading the bags in customers' trucks offered advice about the best way to eat an onion: Cut off the ends and add salt. I bought 50 pounds of Walla Walla Sweets from Cavalli's Onion Acres Farms and 5-pound bag from Catoldi's. Oh my. After passing a few pounds along to onion-loving friends, I started exploring dishes to showcase my Sweets. I made a pesto-caramelized onion tart, French onion soup, onion jam, and pickled onions in balsamic vinegar and olive oil. I've sliced them paper thin and sandwiched them between a couple slices of bread. I'm still experimenting with Walla Walla Sweet Onion rings and would sure appreciate any batter-up-type advice. I also would love some suggestions on the best way to lengthen the shelf life so I can continue playing around with these gems. Add a comment with your tips for these sweeties!
-- Leslie Kelly
Melissa Trainer on July 06, 2009 at 05:12 PM
Leslie,
I love this post! I've posted some suggestions on how to store Walla Walla onions on my blog, www.hooksforcooks.com. Kathryn Fry from the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee was full of ideas for storing Walla Wallas. I asked her for suggestions last week, and her tips for using pantyhose to store the onions is particularly unique. The pantyhose trick also extends their shelf life by a couple months! Yum! Thanks.
Melissa A. Trainer
Auntie Marcia on July 07, 2009 at 09:44 AM
Here in Georgia, we have Vidalia Sweets (onions), which apparently are similar to Walla Walla onions.
I enjoyed reading the storage suggestions on Melissa Trainer's blog.
When I moved into my 70-year-old house thirty years ago, I saw the nails on the cellar ceiling rafters with bits of old hosiery still attached.
I've continued the tradition.
Keep a pair of scissors nearby so you can cut the old pantyhose with scissors at the knot to get an onion.
JohnG on July 12, 2009 at 12:22 PM
Just yesterday I watched an episode of America's Test Kitchen on PBS where preparing onion rings was the lead activity. Today, I came across your blog post. I cannot remember enough of the episode's recommendations to solve your problem here but I suggest you explore ATK's website. If you don't already belong (for $3.95 a month), join and watch the show as it's streamed to your computer. Hope it works for you.
Carolyn T at tastingspoons.com on July 15, 2009 at 10:56 AM
I don't have any handy-dandy ideas for preserving them. But, I was recently given a big batch of some Texas sweet onions, and made 2 recipes with them that you might want to try. I particularly recommend the first one.
http://tastingspoons.com/archives/3629 - Mahogany Sweet Onion Bruschetta
http://tastingspoons.com/archives/3620 - Madeira Sweet Onions (a dinner side dish)