This was a great year for onions. It was sunny and hot and the bulbs grew happily undisturbed in the northwest coner of the garden. Once established, onions are not difficult to grow. In fact, because of their shallow root systems, they prefer to be left alone. Once their tops have fallen over, it is time to harvest. We harvested three varieties of onions this week, white 'Superstar', yellow 'Ailsa Craig', and red 'Mars.' I cut the tops off the bulbs, dusted them off and placed them on trays in the sun to dry. I was uncomfortable leaving the onions outside over night so I brought them into my den where they are drying in front of the oscillating fan. There is a faint smell of onions wafting through my house, but I don't mind. It must be because I'm a Taurus that I like earthy smells like onions and horse manure. It is certainly satisfying to have harvested such a large crop of onions after last years poor yield. The drenching rains of last June caused much of the onion crop to rot in the fields.
It seems that so many good meals start with onions sauteeing in the frying pan. Tonight I may add some eggplant and peppers to the onions and see if I can make a simple caponata. Whatever I add to it, the onions will make it smell and taste delicious!
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