Mexicali Green Onion 2023
The recent heatwave in the Mexicali region has begun to affect the quality and availability of green onions. The current green onion supply will worsen before it improves due to Hurricane Hilary.
There will be a severe supply deficit due to Hurricane Hilary’s wind and rain and Mexicali’s growing heat.
Developing green onions are maturing too quickly, resulting in crooked shanks and excessive peeling around the root, among other quality issues that lower yields.
This week, there is a supply gap due to the heat and ground temperatures that have kept the production season ahead of schedule.
As Hurricane Hilary draws near, the market is rising sharply. Over the next three to four weeks, expect severe shortages of goods. Farmers will need help to cover averages.
The intense rain and Hilary’s wind reduced the harvest and supply of green onions. “Mexicali, San Luis, and Ensenada on the Baja Coast, as well as growing regions in Inland Baja, were all affected to some degree,” says Widerburg. Because of the uncomfortably high temperatures in July and August, the harvest of green onions had already begun to reduce before the rain and wind. Hilary’s tropical storm has just become more vigorous and more severe.
Green Onion Harvest
In terms of cost, 48-count iced green onions went from $15 to as much as $40 on the open market in a matter of weeks. In the summer, green onion prices typically hover around $20 to $30, and this is where the market is starting to stabilize again.
Widerburg continues, “The production of iceless green onions was really stymied as the cold rooms were completely emptied and had to deal with power outages for up to three or four days.” Restoring iceless production to normal will take about a week. But don’t be shocked if green onion prices continue to rise well into October.
Harvest Techniques and Tips
The best thing about green onions is that they can grow in practically any environment and don’t need special attention. You can begin harvesting them after they sprout in the spring and have grown for about 4 weeks or until they are at least 6 inches tall. Then you can continue to gather them until winter arrives, or you decide to pull them out and plant something else.
You can use the following two techniques:
- Through the leaf
This is the method to use if you want your green onions to produce new leaves for several harvests.
- By the plant itself
You should harvest the Green onions by removing the entire plant—roots and all—from the ground if you want to use both the leaves and the white stalk of the plant.
Best Time to Gather Green Onions
There are two reasons why there is no set time for picking green onions. First, harvesting time varies greatly depending on your preferences and the flavour you want in your freshly harvested green onions.
Pick your onion greens when they’re still immature if you want a softer taste. You can begin harvesting as soon as their leaves are the size of a pencil.
Since the plants will continue to produce fresh green leaves throughout the growing season, the harvesting season usually begins four weeks or more after planting and can extend until winter.
Give the plants more time to develop until they are at least half an inch thick and 8 to 12 inches tall if you want a more robust flavour.
