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Show The PAGE 6 Spring Home A Garden Tlmea-lndepende- nt remodel complete with custom furniture or new cabinets. Visit on n sbowmw iiwm' Htmiiwk & w 'ir V ts Um 'i Sttauooco i imu QdfiGkniilligaDaxcaiiDisB 0101113101) t Tr til iii Git) tttro v oaaf t xair : i picmmiucod aii tii iv (jj.i r min cox o :o u xc jrrfyvft 0 S " iUU,--- W III ornampion Home Center r i fjedman Homes, Inc. $4,000 off any Redman or Summit Crest Home if ordered by April 30, 2002 100 2002 as the onion becomes Utahs state vegetable Make your rm- , 21-2- 7 No need for tears B&jW Itr March Financing on approved credit USDA Rural Development Raw or cooked, chopped or sliced, love 'em or hate 'em, onions are now Utah's state vegetable thanks to the state Legislature and Senate Bill 136. After some wrangling and a compromise between legislators who favored the sugar beet and those who supported the onion, Utah actually has two state vegetables. The sugar beet was designated the historic state vegetable' and the Spanish sweet onion is the state vegetable. Utah State University plant scientist Dan Drost, who spends a lot of time around onions and the people who grow them, was an onion fan long before the state Legislature got into the act. And what's not to like? Onions store well, add loads of flavor, can be eaten cooked or raw and theyre good for you. If the Legislature really needed to spend time selecting official state vegetables at least they chose one with some really good health benefits, Drost said. Sugar beets were important here once, but we dont grown them much anymore and sugar beets have no redeeming nutritive value. Choosing the sugar beet over the onion would just highlight the fact that people are enamored with sugar and look where It's gotten us.' Drost has long been involved in onion research on Utah Agricultural Experiment Station farms, the latest In a long tine of scientists at Utah State whose research resulted In the development of most of the Spanish-styl- e onions that are grown In the western states. Drost also works closely with the states onion growers In his role as USU Extension vegetable specialist. Onions could easily have been classified Utah's modem and historic state vegetable, Drost said, because they were planted by early settlers In the state and the onion Industry has been a big pad of the state's agricultural landscape since the 1910s. Last year, onions grown commercially on roughly 2,500 acres of Utah soil (mainly in Davis, Weber and Bex Elder counties) were worth about $7 million. Onions are among the most widely grown vegetables and from now until farmers and home gardeners will be busy planting this year's crop. While his research involves growing onions, Drost says nutrition researchers continue to discover the health benefits of eating onions. Onions help keep blood thinned and that's good for your heart, Drost said. People are also discovering they lower cholesterol and have properties, especially against cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.' But what about the burning eyes 8nd tears that often accompany cutting onions? It's simply a reaction of mid-Apr- il anti-canc- enzymes In er the onion when they become exposed to the air. Heating the onion increases the enzyme activity, Drost said. That's one reason your likely to really tear-u- p when onions begin cooking. Chilling onions before you chop or slice them helps reduce the impact on your eyes because It slows down the reaction of the enzymes. Although they often get paired up g with things like oil for and butter for sauteing, onions themselves are a healthy and flavorful addition to the diet. According to USDA, a medium 2 onion Inches diameter) contains just 48 calories along with calcium, potassium and phosphorus. 'They do keep bad company sometimes, Drost said. "I like good onion rings, but I only eat a few. Besides, I'd rather get my fat from a steak covered with sauteed onions, of course, Note: Dan Drost's fact sheet about growing onions, Onions In the Garden is available on USU Extension's Web site at. extension.usu educoopgarderV gardpubs htm deep-fryin- (2-1- |