HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1994-03-16, Page 79Those Grand Bend onions
by Nellie Evans
Thc origin of the onion is a
mystery.
Generally believed to have
,originated in Asia, the onion is a
member of the lily family along
with asparagus, tulips and the yucca
plant. Thc. onion, or Allium,' branch
of the family has several hundred
members but the edible onions,
leeks, garlic and shallots are best
known.
The earliest historical record of
the onion dates back to 2400 B.C.
Egyptians made good use of it, and
then the Greeks and Romans, but
for many centuries it seems to have
been primarily a poor person's fare.
More often the onion was eaten raw
with a chunk of bread.
Fast -forward to the 20th century
where people around the world
enjoy onions in unique blends of
tastes.
Enter Pickling Onion Growers
(POG) Ltd. of Grand Bend perhaps
the only producer of salt and
vinegar onion brine in . North
America. It's a unique percentage
of salt and vinegar in the brine that
drives consumers wild.
President Nelson Dcsjardine said
the company ships mainly to the
United States and Canada, sup-
plying well-known food companies.
like Green Giant and Bick's.
Although he wouldn't divulge
annual sales, Dcsjardine said POG
is tumong 12 companies world-wide
specializing in this type of onion.
"It's not a huge market but a
special niche," he said.
P00 grows its own onions with a
. network of farm operations in the
Thedford, Grand Bend .and Exeter
areas. They grow onions as small as
eight millimetres to as large as 40
millirnctres..
Onions must be perfect -with no,
blemishes -to be accepted on the
world market, he said. Each onion.
is personally inspected by one of
140 employees working at grading
tables. During the harvest season,
beginning in mid-July, staff work
round-the-clock, seven days a week.
Since its formation in the 1970s,
POG has moved to Grand Bend
from Thed'ford to meet growing
market demands.
Perhaps one of the 'nicest bits of
onion -related trivia, for a North
Amercian audience at least, is the
fact Indians living along the shore
of Lake Michigan thought so highly
of the'onion's particular smell they
named a settlement, Chicago, after
it.
We assume the nickname, the
Windy City, came somewhat •later
and for entirely different reasons..
Certification for wood cutters'
by D'OH Agar
- OMAF Agricultural rep
As you may not know, anyone
cutting wood for sale must be cer-
tified under the Ministry of Labor.
This includes firewood for sale, and
for anyone cutting wood for their
own use on lands owned by the
Ontario Ministry of Natural Resour-
ces. It. is surprising to know that
even a hired man must be certified
for cutting wood on his employer's
property for the use of the
employer. .
The Bruce County Needs Iden-
tification Committee, in determining
what course to offer in 1994,
selected this course as one that.
would be needed by Bruce County
residents. They have scheduled a
series .of ' workshops to certify
'woodcutters.
The Grey -Bruce ., Community
Industrial Training Committee set
up training, courses to train 'the
trainers for this certification. They
are ready to go now aid-givc`cour-
ses.
'This two-day course. involves
some classroom, some workshop
demonstration on adjustment, main-
tenance and safety . of chainsaws.
There is a practical demonstration
in the bush before certification iscomptctc,
These •courses give top quality
training by qualified' instructors.
Thc Ontario 'Agricultural' Training
Institutes has subsidized $35 per
'participant, reducing the cost from
$100 to $65., • •
To be eligible for the lower price,
you can • register - with Ontario
Ministry of Agriculture and •FoOd,
881-3301 or 1-800-265-3023 or the
Community Industrial Training
Advisory' Committee (CITAC)'
Farm Progress 94 -Page 19A
Did
.you
know?
With society's growth in the
urban environment, the ornamental
nursery industry has gained the
enviable position as one of the
fastest growing sectors of agricul-
ture in Canada.
According to industry estimates,
nursery landscape ornamentals
represent an annual farmgate value.
of $400 million anti a consumer •
retail value of $3.5 billion.
Despite the current recession, this
industry. is projected to grow at a
rate of 3 to 5 per cent annually over
the next five years. Fifty-five per
cent of Canada's nursery industry is
located in Ontario.
(from OMAF's Agri-Foo.d
Research in Ontario Magazine)
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