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In the late 1800s, Peter
Pieri, a French soldier, brought Italian sweet onion seeds from the Island of
Corsica (off the west coast of Italy) when he immigrated to the Walla Walla
Valley. (The name "Walla Walla" is a Native American term meaning "Many
Waters.) Pieri and his neighbors were impressed by the onions' sweetness and
ability to survive in the winter and carefully selected and planted only the
best seed to achieve maximum size, shape, and wonderful sweetness.
Walla Walla sweet onions
have been hand-harvested for many generations and are planted in carefully
selected soils in the Walla Walla Valley of Southeast Washington and Northeast
Oregon. A Federal Marketing Order was established in 1995, specifying the Walla
Walla Valley as the only region authorized to grow the Walla Walla Sweet Onion.
Some Walla Walla onions
are planted in September or October, then hibernate through the winter and
resume growth in the spring, while others are planted in the spring (March -
April) for July - August harvest. Walla Walla growers have planted
approximately 1,100 acres this year in the Valley.
Walla Walla onions are
round, with an elongated neck and dry, paper-thin skin. They tend to be large
in size, weighing up to two pounds. Growers use current scientific
horticultural practices to plant these sweet onions in this region's unique
combination of rich volcanic soil and a mild year-round climate. Onions grown
in the Walla Walla Valley have half the sulfur of an ordinary yellow onion,
making the taste sweeter and more pleasant to the palette. Our Walla Walla
Sweets are a good source of Vitamin C, are sodium and cholesterol free, and are
low in calories!
Click here to see the complete nutritional value of Walla Walla
River™ Sweet Onion.
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