TEXAS - Onions have long been a necessary ingredient in many cultures, with a definitive flavor that brings tears to the eyes—usually. This is an increasingly busy category as it becomes more and more necessary to have the right onion for whatever purpose it might serve. And Texas Sweet Onions, or Texas 1015's, as many call them, holds their very own space in America’s domestic offerings.

“What makes Texas onions so great is they’re the first new crop onions produced domestically. Consumers love these varieties of onions because they have less peruvix (the acidity that makes you cry) so they’re not only great to eat sautéed or grilled, but they have excellent crunch and a milder flavor so that they can be eaten fresh, too. Salads, burgers, and sandwiches just aren’t complete in the spring and summer without Texas onions,” Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association, shares.

As 2019 winds down, the new year isn’t the only thing approaching.

"Texas 1015 is the first domestic sweet onion on the market for the new year, and one Texas retailers, and retailers in general, really seem to want. We differentiate from other onions on the market in that our growing regions are a bit more spread out than alternative sweet onions, which we do intentionally to help us avoid weather issues," Ted Brasch, Sales Manager at Crescent Fruit and Vegetable, says.

Promotional periods for the Texas 1015 tend to kick off in the spring and go into mid-summer, most commonly during Semana Santa, Easter, Memorial Day, and Father’s Day.

“Thanks to the unique, mild winter weather South Texas enjoys, we can provide the earliest true sweet onion of the year, which perfectly aligns with springtime barbeque weather. Because the Texas 1015 is a short day onion grown throughout the winter, you end up with a crisp, mild, perfectly juicy sweet onion available as early as March,” Courtney Schuster of Rio Fresh, shares.

Trent Bishop, Vice President of Sales for 1015 grower J&D Produce, marks the onion as a traditional calendar event.

“The 1015 signifies the official start of the domestic sweet onion supply. The Texas sweet onion is as distinctive as the state from which it originates and has been the official state vegetable since 1977. There is always an energy and excitement added to the category when consumers learn that Texas 1015 onions are available or about to become available,” Trent says.

If Mother Nature cooperates, I’m assured that there is no reason promotional volumes wouldn’t be available as early as St. Patrick’s Day and as late as the 4th of July, just in time to complement Texas cabbage, greens, and watermelons.

“Texas onion plantings are well underway. At this point, a majority of the crop is in the ground and the weather has been great,” Dante concludes, meaning equally great quality for buyers.

If there is anything life in the produce industry has taught me, it’s that on time is late, Mother Nature always has the final say, and the next season will be here before we know it. So if you aren’t already planning for the 2020 season of Texas 1015, there is no time like the present!

Texas International Produce Association Rio Fresh J&D Produce Frontera