Care and cultivation of purple and red onions, benefits and harms, when to harvest and how to store
Purple onions are a type of onion. Those who did not eat it may be confused by the color of the pulp and onion skins.
Their shades from variety to variety may differ in intensity, but they all belong to the red-violet range, so many believe that this is a red onion.
Features of red onions
All varieties with a reddish color of the pulp, as well as traditional onions (white pulp, yellow husks), are divided into three groups according to taste:
- spicy varieties;
- semi-sharp varieties;
- sweet varieties.
Pungent varieties still taste less harsh than yellow-shelled bulbs. There are many varieties and hybrids of purple onions. For any region, you can choose a variety that is suitable in terms of ripening. You need to pay attention to the characteristics of keeping quality if the goal is to grow purple onions for winter storage. Most red onions are salad-based and poorly stored.
About the benefits
Now everyone is enthusiastically interested in the topic of healthy eating, actively studying the beneficial properties of foods, fruits and vegetables. Those vegetables that contain vitamins and useful microelements become favorites. It is the healing composition of the pulp that explains the growing interest in the red (purple) variety of onions in recent years.
Red varieties contain a full range of trace elements and a large amount of vitamin C.
As you know, we need it to protect ourselves from the aggressive influences of the external environment, help keep our immunity in shape, fight various seasonal infections and keep cancer cells under control.
The juice and pulp of a red turnip contains anthocyanins - pigments (dyes from the group of glycosides) that have an antioxidant effect. Once in the body, glycosides:
- fight bacteria;
- normalize blood sugar levels;
- inhibit the aging process in the body;
- serve as cancer prevention.
Nutritionists have paid attention to the beneficial properties of red vegetables, in their opinion, women achieve results faster, including it in their daily diet. The body is cleansed of toxins, the digestive system is toned, fats are broken down, bad cholesterol is gone.
It is useful for women to use purple onions during menstruation, it reduces pain syndrome, normalizes the duration of the menstrual cycle. Red turnip juice is used to treat colds, bronchitis, it is used for prophylaxis during epidemics of acute respiratory viral infections, influenza.
The healing properties of the purple vegetable are not limited to this. Red (purple) turnip is useful for people prone to allergies, it contains quercetin, which helps relieve unpleasant symptoms and reduces swelling.Studies have shown that daily consumption of red onions improves the condition of blood vessels, reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack.
There is a category of people who benefit and harm from eating red onions. It should be used with caution by people with severe pathologies of the gastrointestinal tract, kidneys, liver. Pregnant and lactating women should eat a red turnip in moderation, during this period of life any excess is harmful.
A few simple recipes
Use purple onion juice for minor health problems and for cosmetic purposes. This is an excellent folk remedy for hair care. Before washing your hair, you need to rub a small amount of purple turnip juice into the scalp. The mask improves the appearance of hair, makes it shiny, helps get rid of dandruff, and stimulates growth.
Red onion juice will help if you are bitten by mosquitoes or other blood-sucking insects. They need to lubricate the bite sites, the itching and inflammation will pass. The juice will help with sprains, compresses can be made with it, they will help relieve inflammation, reduce pain.
You can also solve more serious health problems with the help of purple onion juice:
- Fight worms. To do this, pour 1 head for 7 hours with 1 glass of warm, boiled water. Drink ½ cup on an empty stomach for 5 days.
- For colds (acute respiratory viral infections, acute respiratory infections), mix 1: 1 juice with honey and drink at least 4 times a day, 1 tbsp. l.
- Use an infusion of 2 crushed heads filled with warm water (1 glass) as a diuretic. Insist 8 hours, drink ¼ glass 3 times a day.
Grow red onions!
You can buy a healthy vegetable in any supermarket, but do-it-yourself onions from the garden will bring more benefits. It is grown in the same way as ordinary onions, propagated using sevka.
Variety selection
Summer residents should pay attention to Carmen - a new variety of purple onions with a beautiful name. It has a piquant taste, juicy. A medium-sized turnip weighs about 80 g, large bulbs - 120 g. The better the agricultural technique, the more convincing the size. Carmen is called red onion for a reason, the husk is shiny, red, red-blue or red-purple.
Dvuhzachchatkovy variety of Dutch selection, ripens early (85–90 days), recommended for growing throughout the Russian Federation. Residents of the northern regions should pay attention to the Carmen onion, it manages to ripen during the short summer. The turnip has a rounded-flattened shape, feather length is 30 cm. The color of the flesh is white, the taste is semi-sharp. Bow Carmen used raw, it is great for salads, contains a lot of vitamin C.
Landing
The place for the onion bed should be well lit, and rainwater should not stagnate in the aisles. Light and fertile soil with a pH of 6 to 7 is more suitable for growth. Dolomite flour should be added in spring or autumn if the pH is lower (acidic soil).
For digging, you need to add humus (compost) and ash, organic matter is applied in moderation, the excess worsens keeping quality. Sevok grows well after all types of cabbage, legumes and potatoes. Its planting can be combined with carrots. These two crops are good neighbors, scaring away pests from each other: onion and carrot flies.
Process the sevok before planting. Hold for 30 minutes in a pink solution of potassium permanganate to destroy harmful microorganisms. To speed up germination, soak in a growth promoter. Transfer the processed purple turnip to a canvas bag, plant in open ground after 2 days. The planting depth of purple bulbs is from 1 to 2 cm, the planting pattern is 3 * 10 cm.
Care
When growing red onions for storage, the feather is not cut during the season. Provide standard care for the culture.Watering is carried out as the top layer of the earth dries up, they must be abundant, surface watering has a bad effect on productivity. From mid-July, watering is stopped.
During the planting season they are fed - the first time with a mullein solution 2-3 weeks after planting, the second time, when the bulbs begin to tie, thickly powder the surface of the ridge with sifted ash and pour water from a watering can. Until the stems are closed, shallow the row spacings. At the end of June - beginning of July, powder the purple onion beds with onion fly shag.
Harvest
Watering is stopped 10-14 days before the start of harvesting. When to dig out, they recognize by the condition of the neck. It must be dry. By the time the purple turnip is harvested, most of the feathers should dry out and turn yellow, and purple (red) scales should appear on the bulbs. Decided when to harvest the onions, be sure to check the weather forecast. Better if the day is warm and sunny.
Bulbs picked in rainy weather take longer to dry and store less well. Do not cut off the pen immediately, but opportunities to dry onions in the sun for several days and only then cut off the stems, leaving tails from 3 to 5 cm. Clean the surface of onion scales from dirt, cut off the roots.
How to store the bulbs?
Any room with constant humidity and air temperature is suitable. Bulbs keep well if the temperature does not exceed 18 ° C and the air humidity is kept at 60%. There are several ways to store harvested purple onion varieties.
Purple turnip can be poured into old tights and hung in the pantry, you can weave braids. Red (purple) onion heads, collected in beautiful bunches, can be used as a decorative element when decorating a kitchen in a country house and in a city apartment.
It is better to store a large number of purple heads in boxes (wooden, plastic, baskets) or on special racks. During storage, the red turnip must be periodically inspected, specimens with signs of decay must be removed.
Conclusion
Many interesting purple onion varieties are waiting for summer residents on the shelves of gardening shops. You definitely need to choose the right option for yourself. Purple bulbs will add variety to the menu, improve health.
