Nova Agri currently specializes mainly in yellow onions supplied from Dykeview farms, however, we are developing our red onion expertise.
Yellow onions are full-flavoured and primarily used in cooking, which tends to soften their sharpness, and brings out their sweetness and aroma. When sautéed, yellow onions turn a rich dark brown and give soups and gravies a sweet, tangy flavour.
By contrast, white and red onions are milder and often eaten raw when used as an ingredient in many dishes.
Dykeview Farms begins harvesting onions about the third week of August, but due to our advanced drying and storage facilities, we are able to deliver onions nine to ten months of the year (early September through late May). In 2007 we delivered over 18,000,000 pounds of onions to local and international markets.
Onions come in different sizes and are packaged as follows:
- Pre-pack: 2, 3 and 5 lb. mesh bags
- Bulk: 10, 25 and 50 lb. mesh bags
Since onions - especially yellow cooking onions - are usually eaten in relatively small quantities, they tend to contribute more to the tastiness of foods than they do to providing our daily vitamin and mineral requirements. However, if eaten in larger portions (1 cup cooked) they are a good source of phosphorous, magnesium and vitamin B6.
Onions and garlic are being studied by food scientists for their "nutraceutical" value (the ability to prevent and/or treat disease) and considerable evidence now suggests that the presence of the antioxidant quercetin in these foods can play an important role in the prevention of cancer. The risk of cardiovascular disease - the #1 killer in the western world - and hypoglycemia are also thought to be lowered with regular ingestion of quercetin-containing foods.
Another flavonoids (active biological compounds) found in onions and garlic - a surface compound called allicin, has been shown to invade/survive in a host. Allicin may therefore help fend off the viruses, bacteria and fungi that attack humans.