I like produce. I like to grow it. I like to eat it. I like to create recipes with it. I’m also kind of a nerd and like to get to know my produce. I like learning new or fun tidbits of info about the produce I’m growing/eating/baking. If you’re a weirdo like me then buckle up for this new series as I dive into a plethora of produce facts and share them with you. Here we go:

1. According to the National Onion Association, U.S. onion consumption has increased 50% in the last 20 years. Maybe it’s because we put sauteed onions on all sorts of things now?

2. Wild onions grow on nearly every continent. And, because onions are one of the few vegetables that can easily be stored for the winter many, their popularity across the world grew right along with them.

3. Onions have been around since the Bronze Age! The oldest know onion harvest dates back to around 5,000 BC, over 7,000 years ago!

4. The sulfuric compounds in onions cause is to cry when we chop them. To cut down on the crying, chill the onion and cut into the root end of the onion last. {Or maybe you have a better trick, if so, do tell!}

5. There are less than 1,000 onion farmers in the United States. That’s a pretty low number. Altogether, about 125,000 acres of onions are planted in the US each year.

6. The onion was worshiped by ancient Egyptians. They believed that its spherical shape and concentric rings symbolized eternity. They used to cover the tombs of their rulers with onion pictures and onions played a vital role in burial rituals. They believed that onions would help the dead succeed in the afterlife.

7. In an old English Rhyme, the thickness of an onion skin was thought to help predict the severity of the upcoming winter. Thin skins mean a mild winter is coming while thick skins indicate a rough winter ahead.

8. Eating parsley will help get rid of that pesky onion breath! Note to self.

9. Before it was known as the Big Apple, New York City was called the Big Onion because it was a place where you could peel off layer after layer without ever reaching the core.

10. The Guinness Book of World Records lists the largest onion ever grown as a whopping 10 pound, 14 ounce onion!

Had you heard any of those fun facts before? Do you have any of your own to add? Is there a particular produce item you want to know more about? I take requests!

Grow on,

~ Mavis

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