Harvesting of Walla Walla onions, a sweet onion grown in Washington's Walla Wall County, began late last month and should continue through the end of August. Production is reported to be on par with previous years.“It's a good year with about average yields,” said Kathy Fry-Trommald, executive director of the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee. The crop's typical yield is around 32,500 pounds per acre, and Fry-Trommald believes this year's production will stick to that mark. Quality is expected to be good with the region's sweet onions living up to the taste for which they're known.
“Our onions are mild, and the quality looks excellent this year,” said Fry-Trommald. “The acid level is down to less than five percent, and that's due to our seed stock, the soil and the weather.” Seeds for Walla Walla onions were brought from Corsica over 100 years ago, and the crop, in it's 112th iteration, is carefully managed from year to year to maintain it's distinct taste.
“We grow a delicate onion, and the low acid content in the soil helps with that,” she said. “It's a combination of the soil, the weather and the seeds.”