White onion: varieties of varieties, benefits and harms, how to properly store

Onion is an indispensable seasoning for almost every dish, among its species there is also white. Let us consider in more detail how white onions are useful, which came to us from Asian countries. Like all its onion relatives, it is rich in he althy vitamins and minerals, has a sweetish taste and pleasant aroma. Let's take a closer look at the characteristics, and what is the difference between this variety and others.

Variety varieties

Summer residents, before choosing a suitable type of onion, try to choose one that will be well stored and have a pleasant taste.

White onion belongs to this category and has its own varieties. Their names and characteristics are as follows:

Comet. Bulbs keep well for 6 months. The downside is the duration of their maturation and small size.
Alba. It ripens for a long time, but if the care is carried out according to all the requirements of agricultural technology, the bulbs can be medium or large (up to 200 grams).
Nevada. This is an early variety. It is best planted in regions where the summer is very short. The bulbs grow to medium size, about 90 grams.
Snowball. It has medium maturity. The bulbs are large in size, they reach a weight of 160 grams. Another thing to remember: this variety of onion is not stored for more than 3 months.
Sterling. Disease resistant. Stored for about 4 months. Characterized by a sweet taste. The weight of the bulbs is about 120 grams.

Distinctive qualities of white onions from others

The white variety has a beautiful shape. Unlike regular yellow and purple, it is more difficult to store, but the bulbs are larger in size.

Different in taste and aroma, has no sharp bitterness.

It makes delicious salads and French onion soup. Popular in Spain, USA and France.

White it is called by the color of the husk, somewhat reminiscent of unwritten papyrus. In terms of the content of various substances, in comparison with the yellow and purple varieties, there are also significant differences. The white vegetable contains iron s alts in large quantities, as well as vitamins and trace elements, essential oils, sugar.

Valuable properties

Like all other types of white lettuce is considered a he althy product. It contains phytoncides, which have a detrimental effect on individual bacteria, fungi.

Onion juice has medicinal properties and is used in the treatment and prevention of colds. It can be used as an additional therapy for stomatitis and sore throat. In the autumn-spring period, as a preventive measure, it is recommended to inhale the smell of onions, previously grated or cut on a plate.

It is necessary to include this vegetable in the diet daily as a source of ascorbic acid. Its beneficial properties are preserved both fresh and boiled.

Contraindications for use

The benefits of white onions are undeniable, but they can also be harmful. Fresh white onions are not recommended for children who are under one and a half years old. They have a very delicate oral mucosa, so you can cause burns. Boiled, it is recommended to add to vegetable purees, soups from 1 year old.

The vegetable is tolerable to all people, especially if it has been heat-treated. The main contraindication is fresh consumption.

Doctors do not recommend it in the following cases:

insomnia;
headaches;
high blood pressure;
frequent flatulence;
overweight as the white vegetable improves appetite and stimulates gastric juice production.

When to remove onions from the beds?

It is very important to accurately determine the time of harvesting white onions, otherwise it will not be possible to store them for a long time. If he does not ripen, then his neck will be juicy and thick, and the bulb is poorly covered with scales. Such a bow will begin to rot after a while.

If you do not remove it for a long time, then the scales will fly off, additional roots will grow, the bulbs will begin to crack, and the loss of useful properties will occur.

For harvesting white onions, the main signs are:

stop growing new feathers;
yellowness of the main part of the leaves and the beginning of drying;
if most of the feathers are dead;
scales became white;
The neck of the onion softened slightly.

Various factors influence the timing of onion ripening, these include:

growing region;
weather conditions;
soil;
view features.

Basically, the growing season for onions is 2-3 months. Most varieties can already be harvested in mid-July, and the later varieties ripen by early August. If the summer is dry and hot, then the onion will ripen much faster. In rainy and cool weather, the readiness for harvesting this vegetable crop slows down.The deadline for harvesting is considered to be August 20, as it is noticed that then the rains begin.

You can follow the lunar calendar, which indicates the timing of the harvest. If you do not harvest the onion before the rains, it will lose its shelf life, may be affected by rot and other diseases.

It is best after mid-July to start observing the external manifestations of the maturity of the culture. While the weather is dry and sunny, it is necessary to collect it in time.

How to properly harvest and store crops?

It is best to remove ripe onions from the garden on a dry sunny day. You will need a shovel for work: you can not pull out the onion by the feathers. It is recommended to lightly dig the ground near the bulbs, then carefully pull out, shaking off the remnants of the soil with your hands. If the neck of the vegetable is juicy, it means that it has not ripened; it is better not to store such bulbs, but to put them aside in order to immediately take them to the kitchen.

After the onions are dug up, they need to be laid out directly with feathers for drying on the same bed on the ground or cardboard. It is desirable that warm sunlight falls on it. In the evening, it is recommended to clean in a dry place or cover with a film so that the bulbs do not get wet from the morning dew. Dry depending on the weather - from 7-10 days.

If the onion becomes rustling, smooth and slippery, you can easily stick your hand into it - this means that it has already dried out well.
Now you need to cut the leaves on the bulbs with scissors, leaving about 5- 6 cm neck. For storage, onions are best stored in a dry place at room temperature. You can place it in nets, wooden boxes, cardboard boxes, cloth bags or nylon stockings. You can not cut the leaves, but weave a braid in the form of a braid. Hang bundles in the kitchen. In this form, the vegetable is well preserved.

If you had to dig up a vegetable in rainy weather, then there is nothing left to do but process it properly.

For this you need:

immediately cut off the feathers, stepping back 5 cm from the neck;
carefully remove the roots;
clear scales;
Spread one onion in a dry place to dry for 2-3 weeks.

If the room was dry and well ventilated, then the onion can be preserved, and the husk will then grow back.

How to accelerate the ripening of the crop?

Often, in order to have time to dig up onions before it starts to rain, you have to stimulate the process of its ripening. There are several ways to do this, but the main thing is to limit the nutrition of the root crop. If the heads are deep in the ground and they are hard to see, it is recommended to slightly sweep the earth from their surface so that they are exposed and receive enough solar heat.

It is necessary to stop watering 2-3 weeks before harvest, even if the weather is dry. If it starts to rain at this time, it is better to cover the onion with polyethylene. You can lift the bulbs with a pitchfork.

It is recommended to insert a shovel under the bulb and cut off the roots at a depth of 5 cm. Cutting the tops is not recommended, as the bulbs will lose nutrients from the tops. When ripe, they should go from green to onion.

Each type of onion has its own flavor and aroma. For those who like a sweetish taste, white is suitable. It is desirable to use it daily, adding it to various dishes as a useful source of vitamins and trace elements.