Onion - Red - Rossa Di Toscana (Allium cepa) Dark Red Italian Onions Cipollini Non GMO & Organic Italian Heirloom Vegetable

Delicious dark red Italian onions range from medium to large size; classic round flattened cippollini (flattened disc shape) that has good storage quality for 5 - 6 months. White and red layered flesh has a sweet mild taste and is one of the highest yield varieties.

Strong necks are good for braiding. Studies conducted at the University of Perugia’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences showed this variety to have the highest levels of immune stimulating polyphenols and antioxidants.  This variety originates from the Agricultori Custodi (Farmer Guardians) organization in Tuscany, Italy, and the original seed is purported to have been collected in Italy by Seed Ambassador Kayla Preece in 2006.

• For bulb onions, sow indoors 3-4 weeks before the last frost. Transplant into the garden when plants are strong enough to handle, and all risk of frost has passed. Space 6” in rows that are 1’ apart.
• Full sun
• consistent soil moisture
• Direct sow in early spring - 2-4 in wide bands or single rows 4 in apart with 1/2 in between seeds. Cover 1/4 to 1/2 in. Thinning is not necessary. 
• Keep free of weeds 
• matures in 120 days
• Onions require frequent watering; keep moisture continuous and stop in August.
• Harvest when the stem has shriveled and tipped over. Save seed: replant minimum of 20 onions in the second spring and allow these to go to seed. large beautiful globe shaped flowers will attracts beneficial pollinators. Cut the seed head when they open; remove chaff to see if there are black seeds. Place any seed heads that have black seeds in paper bag and shake. Keep seeds stored in paper envelope in cool dark place.
• Seed Count: 1 gram

Some notes about Onions...

Yellow Onions – this is an all-purpose onion. Yellow onions have a nice balance of acidic and sweet flavoring, and they become sweeter the longer they cook or from storage. They are usually fist-sized with a fairly tough outer skin with meatier layers. Spanish onions are a particular kind of yellow onion that have a slightly sweeter more delicate flavor.

White Onions – tend to have a sharper more pungent flavor than yellow onions. They also tend to be more tender and have a thinner, papery skin. Can be cooked just like yellow onions, and are excellent minced and added to raw dishes like chutneys etc.

Sweet Onions – Vidalia and Walla Walla are 2 of the most common sweet onion varieties. Sweet onions lack the sharp, astringent taste of other onions and taste sweeter.  Excellent when thinly sliced for salads or sandwiches. Range in color from white to yellow and often have a flattened (cipollini) or squashed appearance. Sweet onions also tend to be more perishable, and should be store in the refrigerator, if not using right away.

Red Onions – Visually appealing with a deep purple outer skin and reddish flesh. They are fairly similar to yellow onions in flavor, although their layers are slightly less tender. Red onions are most often used in raw preparations for their color and relatively mild flavor. If you find their flavor to astringent for eating raw, try soaking them in water before serving. Colour will not stay when cooked.