Mike Fournier grows the biggest onions I have ever seen.
They are bigger than a softball, but that’s not a surprise. Fournier is a retired Bucks County Penn State Cooperative Extension agent and knows a great deal about agriculture.
His candy hybrid onions get lots of attention from Fournier, who carefully fertilizes and composts them, encouraging them to grow large, sweet and mild.
Local onions like Fournier’s are now being harvested along with the many crops that make up this year’s bountiful harvest. Humans have been cultivating onions for at least 7,000 years, enjoying them as food and as a flavor enhancer.
Onions harvested now will keep for months if stored in a cool, dry place. Fournier’s onions may look too large, but they are perfect for freezing. When you cut your onion for a recipe, chop the rest and put it in a freezer bag, then take out what you need for each recipe. It’s a lot better than finding a browning onion in the fridge, complete with a sprout that shows it is eager to be planted.
There is no vegetable more versatile than the onion. We use them in soups, casseroles, baked goods, pies, dips on sandwiches and pizzas, and roasted as a side dish. My dad would make an onion sandwich that consisted of sliced onion, bread and a sprinkle of sugar.
Onions are good for you and contain vitamins C, B9 and B6, potassium and fiber. They are fat free and a medium onion has only 44 calories. They have been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, lower blood sugar and improved bone health.
A favorite recipe is French onion soup. This simple recipe is from allrecipes.com.
½ cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups sliced onions
5 cups beef broth
2 tablespoons dry sherry
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 pinch salt and pepper to taste
4 slices French bread
4 slices provolone cheese
2 slices Swiss cheese, diced
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1. Gather all ingredients.
2. Melt butter with olive oil in an 8-quart stock pot over medium heat. Add onions to butter and continually stir until tender and translucent. Do not brown the onions.
3. Add beef broth, sherry, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven’s broiler.
5. Ladle soup into oven-safe serving bowls and place one slice of bread on top of each (bread may be broken into pieces if you prefer). Layer each slice of bread with a slice of provolone, 1/2 slice diced Swiss and 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese.
6. Place bowls on a cookie sheet and broil in the preheated oven until cheese bubbles and browns slightly, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. Serve hot.
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