selecting sweet onions

True sweet onion varieties are only available for a limited time during their season. You may see one variety in your grocery store in the spring and then a different variety, like our Sweetie Sweet, in your store between July and December.

A sweet onion is different than a typical yellow onion in taste, texture and appearance. With a little help, you will be able to tell them apart, even when they are not labeled.

SKIN COLOR: When you look at a Sweetie Sweet, the outer skin is lighter in weight and more transparent than a typical fall-season yellow onion. Rather than being a dark yellow or copper color, Sweetie Sweets have a marbleized light-yellow pattern with a hint of light green.

SHAPE: Onion shape is not an indicator of sweetness. Sweet onions come in several shapes such as flat, oblong and round.

TEXTURE: Sweet onions contain a higher percentage of water which makes them less dense and more delicate than typical yellow onions. At Peri & Sons Farms we hand-harvest Sweetie Sweets with great care and store them in a safe, climate-controlled area to ensure they stay as pristine as possible.

TASTE: In simple terms, true sweet onions have a higher sugar (brix) level and a lower acid (pyruvic) level which makes the onion taste “sweeter” or milder with none of the mouth-burn that’s associated with yellow onions.

ORIGIN: An onion grown in one region will not necessarily be sweeter than one grown in another region. A sweet onion’s overall taste is the product of farming practices, environment, seed variety and even mother nature. That’s why we put so much care into growing our proprietary Sweetie Sweet.

FRESHNESS: Sweet onions are grown in various regions within the USA and are also imported from abroad. Because of their delicate nature it’s best to buy fresh sweet onions in their prime season. Be aware that onions, shipped over very long distances, will become stressed and deteriorate quickly.

Sweetie Sweets are only grown on our farms in the USA, Sweeties have farm-to-store freshness and shelf life that can’t be matched by imports.

Watch our Sweetie vs. Imports video >>
See What’s in Store for Sweetie Packages >>