The distinction between biting into a pointy storage onion and a freshly harvested candy onion is night time and day. Candy onions are delicate sufficient to eat uncooked (albeit in modest quantities) with out overpowering all the pieces else in your plate. Plus, they caramelize fantastically when cooked.
The draw back is that candy onions don’t retailer so long as their stronger-flavored kin. However should you’re keen to make use of them inside a number of weeks, the flavour is totally well worth the trade-off. Some yellow onions even have the traits of a candy onion with higher storage capabilities, providing you with the perfect of each worlds.
These 5 varieties are among the many finest candy onions for dwelling gardeners that really ship on taste.
‘Yellow Candy Spanish Utah’
This selection is a stable all-around performer that’s been fashionable with dwelling gardeners for many years. The bulbs develop massive, typically reaching 4 inches or extra in diameter. They’ve delicate yellow flesh and a traditional candy onion taste.
‘Yellow Candy Spanish Utah’ is a long-day selection, so it wants 14 to 16 hours of daylight to kind bulbs. In case you’re in zones 3 by way of 6, this can be a dependable selection that performs persistently yr after yr.
The onions mature in about 110 to 130 days from transplanting, placing harvest someplace in mid to late summer time, relying on once you began them. They’re versatile within the kitchen, working equally effectively uncooked in salads or cooked in dishes the place you need that delicate sweetness to come back by way of with out the sharp chunk.
These are extra pungent than true candy onions, so use them sparingly. After curing, they are going to final a number of weeks in storage, but it surely’s finest to make use of them sooner relatively than later.
‘Texas Early Grano’
In case you’re within the South or one other warm-climate area, ‘Texas Early Grano’ is without doubt one of the finest candy onion choices accessible. This short-day selection wants solely 10 to 12 hours of daylight to bulb, making it preferrred for gardeners in zones 7 by way of 11 who can plant in fall for a spring harvest.
The onions are massive and flat with pale yellow pores and skin and exceptionally delicate, candy flesh. They’re prepared to reap sooner than most different varieties, maturing in round 100 to 110 days from transplanting.
‘Texas Early Grano’ has a status for being one of many sweetest varieties you possibly can develop, genuinely delicate sufficient to slice thick and eat uncooked on sandwiches or burgers. The feel is crisp and juicy. Nonetheless, like all candy onions, they’ve a restricted storage life.
This selection thrives in heat climate and may deal with warmth higher than many different candy onions. In case you’ve struggled with onions in sizzling climates earlier than, this one is value making an attempt.
‘Walla Walla’
Named after the Washington area the place it was developed, ‘Walla Walla’ might be probably the most well-known candy onion selection within the nation. It’s an heirloom that’s been grown because the early 1900s, prized for its massive dimension and distinctive sweetness.
‘Walla Walla’ is a long-day selection requiring 14 to 16 hours of daylight to kind bulbs, so it’s finest suited to northern gardeners in zones 3 by way of 6. The bulbs can develop impressively massive below good situations, typically exceeding a pound every. They’ve golden-brown pores and skin and white, delicate flesh that’s candy and juicy.
The flavour is excellent when contemporary, with that signature candy onion mildness that makes it good for consuming uncooked. These onions mature inside 125 days from planting, relying in your local weather and planting time.
Storage is the place ‘Walla Walla’ falls quick. Use them rapidly after harvest, as they have an inclination to melt and deteriorate sooner than many different onion varieties.
‘Yellow Granex PRR’
‘Yellow Granex PRR’ is a short-day selection bred for illness resistance, making it a wonderful selection for gardeners coping with pink root of their soil. This fungal illness can devastate onion crops, however ‘Yellow Granex PRR’ has been chosen for tolerance (indicated by the identify), permitting it to supply effectively even when situations aren’t good.
The onions are massive with mild yellow pores and skin and candy, delicate white flesh. They’re comparable in taste to ‘Texas Early Grano’ however with the added good thing about that illness resistance. In case you’ve had bother with onions previously on account of soil-borne ailments, this selection is value making an attempt.
‘Yellow Granex PRR’ wants 10 to 12 hours of daylight to bulb correctly, so it’s suited to southern gardeners in zones 7 by way of 10. The onions mature in about 100 to 160 days from transplanting, relying on rising situations.
These onions are versatile within the kitchen with that attribute candy onion mildness, stated to be the sweetest of the candy onions. They work effectively each uncooked and cooked, although they really shine when used contemporary.
‘Gladstone’
‘Gladstone’ combines the perfect traits of candy onions with improved uniformity and illness resistance. It’s an intermediate-day onion requiring 12 to 14 hours of daylight, rising finest in the course of the U.S. in latitudes 32 to 42.
The bulbs are spherical and uniform with golden-brown pores and skin and exceptionally candy white flesh. ‘Gladstone’ produces persistently even in less-than-ideal situations, which makes it extra forgiving for newbie gardeners who don’t have good soil or preferrred rising climate.
The onions mature in about 110 days and attain a great dimension with out requiring extreme fertilization or good rising situations. The flavour is good however nonetheless punchy, working effectively in any utility the place you’d use a candy onion.
In case you’re in search of reliability and consistency in a candy onion selection, notably should you’re newer to rising onions, ‘Gladstone’ is a brilliant selection.