There are two types of people in the world, onion haters and onion lovers. Onions are so versatile that they can used to add flavors to just about any dish. The can be boiled, broiled, sautéed, fried, deep-fried, grilled, dried and baked. Onions can be served raw on hamburgers, sandwiches and salads just to name a few items. Onion lovers read on to learn about the different varieties and types of sweet onions.
Onion Categories
Onions are yellow, white or red with yellow being the most common. There are two basic categories of onions, spring/summer and fall/winter onions.
- Spring/summer onions are also known as fresh market onions and are generally classified as sweet onions. They are generally available from March to August. Spring/summer onions have a thinner paler skin. The taste characteristics are usually much sweeter and less pungent than fall/winter onions.
- Fall/winter onions are also known as storage onions. They are generally available from August to April. Fall/winter onions have a thick skin with lots of layers. They generally have a much stronger flavor than spring/summer onions. The fall/winter onions are much more generic than spring/summer onions with little variety difference from one to another, other than red, white or yellow onions.
Sweet Onion Types and Varieties
Super Sweet Onion
- Super Sweet Onions are grown in Texas and are one of the first harvested in the season. These Texas beauties are a larger type of onion (of course it Texas), with the 1015 Super Sweets the largest. The Super Sweets are available from March through August.
Vidalia Onion
- There’s something else sweet growing in Georgia besides peaches, it’s the Vidalia Onion. The Vidalia Onion is a very popular onion because of its mild sweet flavor that’s not overpowering. Named after the Georgia town where they originated, the Vidalia is available from April through June.
Grand Canyon Sweet Onion
- Grand Canyon Sweets are another good choice for dishes where you don’t want an overpowering onion. Grown in Arizona they’re available from May to June. There a little hard to find because of the a limited and short production timeframe.
Maui Sweet Onions
- Maui Sweet Onions hail from the Island of Maui in the state of Hawaii. It doesn’t get much sweeter than a Maui Sweet Onion. Due to the balmy ideal weather in Maui, these sweet onions are available almost year round.
Walla Walla Sweets
- Walla Walla Sweets, grown in the state of Washington, is a favorite in French Onion Soup. Walla Walla’s are a larger variety onion that are nice and sweet and are available from June to August.
Nu Mex Sweet Onion
- Nu Mex Sweet Onions are grown in the state of New Mexico. They are more pungent in taste than your normal sweet onion. Nu Mex Sweets are available from June through August.
Sweet Imperial Onions
- Sweet Imperial Onions are the most widely produced of all the sweet onions. Grown mostly in the low desert area of Southern California, these sweet onions have a strong sweet flavor, yet are not pungent or overpowering. They are available from April to September.
What About Green Onions, Scallions and Chives?
Green onions are onions that are pulled from the ground before they mature. There actually referred to as “green onions” because their tops are green, the actual onion is not green at all. Scallions and green onions are one in the same, just different names.
Chives are the other hand is not the same thing as green onions, although they are similar. Green onions are grown for their bulbs whereas chives are grown for their top growth. Chives are primarily used as a spice herb for items like baked potatoes and soups.
Sweet Onions are much better suited for dishes that require a sweet, yet not overpowering flavor. Storage onions can have an overpowering flavor that often can take over the other flavors in food. Another great thing about sweet onions, they don’t bring tears to the eyes like regular fall/winter storage onions.
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