|
|
|
Recipe Round-Up: Our Favorites
|
July 2014
|
 Now that your onion harvest is here, it's time to enjoy the fruits of your labor. We've tried more than a few onion recipes over the years, and have discovered many delicious, easy ways to enjoy our onions. Here are a couple of our favorites. You'll find many more on our Web site. My "Must Have" Hearty French Onion Soup 2 tbsp. butter 3 large onions, peeled, sliced, separated into rings 2 cans condensed beef broth 1 tbsp. Worcestershire Sauce 1 cup seasoned croutons 1 cup shredded mozzarella or Swiss cheese Melt butter in large saucepan on medium heat. Add onions, cooking for 10 minutes or until golden brown. Stir frequently. Add broth, two soup cans worth of water, and steak sauce. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for five minutes. Pre-heat oven broiler, ladle soup evenly into 4 large oven-proof bowls, and top with croutons and cheese. Broil soup for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serves four. From Dixondale Farms Recipe Book. Jeanie's "Just Heavenly" Bacon, Tomato, and Onion Pie 1 9-inch pie shell 5 large tomatoes, peeled and sliced 4 slices bacon, cooked and chopped 1 sweet onion, sliced or chopped 1 tsp. salt 1/2 tsp. pepper 2 tbsp. milk 1/2 cup mayonnaise 1 1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded 1/4 cup Ritz crackers, crushed 2 tsp. butter, melted 2 green onions (scallions), sliced  Prick pie shell with fork and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes. Fry bacon. Cook till tender. Drain, set aside. Peel and slice tomatoes to fill bottom of pie shell. Sprinkle with chopped onion and salt and pepper. Layer more tomatoes, salt and pepper (again). Mix mayo, bacon and cheese and milk. Spoon on top and pat down to cover tomatoes. Sprinkle with Ritz crackers mixed with melted butter. Sprinkle scallions on top. Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Courtesy of Just a Pinch Recipes. Office Manager Mary's top pick? Caramelized Secret Chocolate Cake. You'll find her favorite, and our very own Bill Martin's prized choices, in the Onion Recipes section of our Web site.
Happy cooking, 
Bruce "Onionman" Frasier |
|
|
 Featured Products
Storage Aids
Mesh Netting. The best way to store onions is in mesh netting like the kind pictured here. Simply drop in an onion, tie a knot above it, drop in another, and continue the process until the netting is full. Hang it up in a cool, dry place, and you're sitting pretty.
Your onions will be safe and fresh until you need them. Whenever you want an onion, simply cut above the bottommost knot and take the onion that drops off. It's easy as pie, keeps the onion well-ventilated, and doesn't let disease (if any) travel from onion to onion like some storage methods can.
 Storage Bags. If you grow onions in quantity, like so many of our customers do, you'll need some good storage options -- especially if you're planning to sell your onions. Our storage bags are ideal.
These orange mesh bags not only provide the ventilation your onions need, they're light and strong as well. They're available in three sizes, with the 10 and 50 pound sizes recommended for larger producers.
You can purchase our storage bags individually or in bulk. Normally they're $2.50 each, but if you buy ten or more, they're $2.00 each. And of course, as with all products at Dixondale Farms, we don't add shipping charges.
 Onion Calipers. We know you're a master onion farmer, but now you can prove it! With this onion caliper tool you can accurately determine the size of your crop. Onions are categorized according to their diameter:
Super Colossal: 4-1/4 inches and up
Colossal: 3-3/4 inches and up
Jumbo: 3 inches and up
Medium: 2-1/4 inches to 3-1/4 inches
Prepack: 1-3/4 inches to 2-3/4 inches
Boiler: 1 to 1-7/8 inches
As you can see, there's some overlap of sizing. A 3-1/4 inch medium can be considered a large medium or a small jumbo, for example.
We're selling these handy tools for $4.99, and we only have a limited number -- so hurry! They're great to use at farmers markets or for bragging rights with other onion growers!
|
|
 From Our Friends
Colossal Copras
Jerry Siefken of Mediapolis, Iowa writes, "Thought I would share an onion picture from the 2013 season. The onions in this cart are Copra. I usually get about 50 pounds from one bunch and plant four 42-ft long rows. That takes eight bunches."
Beautiful, huge onions, Jerry. Thanks for sharing!
Got some onion-related photos to share? Click here for submission tips. You just might see your photo in a future newsletter!
|
Around the Farm 
Astros Pool Party
Recently, we celebrated our end of the season pool party for the Astros -- the champion tee-ball team sponsored by Dixondale Farms, that is! Our problem is that they were rained out at the pool...and had to move the party to a local restaurant for more fun.
Employees Rose Hernandez's son Felix and Michael Garza's son Mason enjoyed playing tee ball with the Astros!
|
|
Q&A: Refrigerating Onions
Q. After I cut or use part of an onion, how long will it keep?
A. According to the U.S.D.A., chopped or sliced onions can be stored in a sealed container in your refrigerator 40�F or below for 7 to 10 days.
|
|
Fun Onion Facts
Although we think of the average onion as more or less round (one reason they were venerated by the Egyptians), onions can come in other shapes. Sometimes factors like the denseness of the soil will constrain an onion so that it's flattened or elongated, and sometimes particular breeds just grow that way. Italian cipollini onions (like our Red Marble Cippolini) tend to be flattened, for example, while our Red Torpedo Tropea is an excellent and well-named example of an elongated, torpedo-shaped onion.
|
|
All Your Questions Answered
We have answers to your frequently asked questions! Just click the link for information on when to order your onions and how to find your frost and freeze dates, as well as for tips on planting, caring, feeding, harvesting, and storing them.
You can also print our electronic Planting Guide, or download a PDF version for easy reference.
And be sure to review our short videos, on topics ranging from bolting and fertilizing to how onion plants are harvested and how they deal with cold weather.
|
|
About Dixondale Farms
As the largest and oldest onion plant farm in the U.S., Dixondale Farms offers a wide selection of top-quality, disease-free, ready-to-plant onion plants. To see our complete product line, request a catalog, or for growing tips and cultural information, visit our Web site.
Whether you're planting one bunch or thousands of acres, we're committed to your success. We've posted answers to frequently asked questions about growing onions on our FAQ page. You can also go to the Learn section of our Web site for growing guides. And of course, we're also available from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM CT at 877-367-1015, or e-mail us any time at [email protected].
|
|
 Join Us on Facebook!
Join the community of friends and growers on our Facebook page! You can connect with us and fellow growers to share stories, photos, recipes, and even weather information and other tips.
When we tell you that some of our onions can grow to colossal size, we're not kidding! Check out these Super Star onions, already the size of a regulation softball...and still growing.
|
|
|
|
|
