By René Hardwick, National Onion Association Director of Public and Industry Relations
While there are many worthy days on the calendar, we in the onion industry can now celebrate our own.
National Onion Day is June 27. It’s certainly time to place the onion on the pedestal.
We encourage all to celebrate by challenging your customers, your friends, your family to spend a day with onions — breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, even dessert.
When we tell readers of Onion World that onions are one of the safest vegetables to eat, while keeping those who eat it healthy, we know we’re preaching to the choir. That’s why it’s up to all of us to spread the message beyond the magazines and news outlets or social media — though we need them all.
This is our chance to toot our horn. This day not only celebrates the onion, it celebrates the seed breeders, the implement dealers and salespeople, the farmers, the researchers and all involved in moving the crop from field to table. While the onion represents a farm gate value of $1.8 billion, it is a good $7 billion – $9 billion in the marketplace.
We chose June 27 to celebrate National Onion Day because that is the day the National Onion Association (NOA) was incorporated in 1913. Now in our 106th year, the NOA continues to work on behalf of all its members across the country who want a sound industry that continues to thrive. A growing onion consumption will do just that.
What can you do? Encourage those you know to celebrate the day with you. Eat onions. Try all varieties and spread them throughout the day. Have an onion dinner party, and pack it with onion dishes. See how many red, white and yellow onions you can incorporate in your daily eating.
How about a healthy Chipotle Egg Breakfast Sandwich to start your day, or perhaps a Spicy Onion Panini or French Onion Soup for lunch? Maybe a little Creamy Onion Dip for an appetizer? How about a dinner of Pasta Primavera with Caramelized Onions or Garden-style Fish with Onions and Bell Peppers? Visit the NOA website atwww.onions-usa.orgfor these and more recipes to inspire you. If you’re adventurous, try some Vidalia Onion and Georgia Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies (see recipe below) for dessert.
Don’t worry about overeating this phenom of Mother Nature. One onion – Nature’s Ninja – contains 20 percent of your daily Vitamin C needs and 12 percent of your fiber needs. And don’t forget, it’s naturally sodium-, fat- and cholesterol-free and only 64 calories per one-cup serving.
Can you do it? Can you take on the challenge of a day full of onions? Ditch the breath mints and go all in to celebrate National Onion Day on June 27.
Vidalia Onion and Georgia Pecan Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1½ teaspoons vanilla
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp fine salt
1 tsp baking soda
12 oz. semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup Georgia Pecans, chopped
1 cup Vidalia onion, diced small
Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cream butter, add sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add flour, salt and soda, and mix until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips and pecans.
Rinse the Vidalia onion with ice water and drain well. Fold the onions into the dough to blend. Drop dough by large spoonfuls on a parchment or wax-paper lined cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and enjoy immediately. These are meant to be eaten warm; if you want to keep them past the day you make them, add some dried cranberries to the batter to absorb some of the moisture.
