Have you gone to a grocery store to buy onions but don’t know what kind to get? What do you do? Close your eyes and grab one hoping it is the best kind to use in your recipe?  

Alliums (onions, garlic, leeks, scallions) are a staple in every kitchen. Different types of onions can add immense flavor to any dish. Choosing the right one for whatever you’re cooking will help you achieve the best (and most delicious) results. Here’s a simple guide to understanding what each type of onion has to offer.  

Yellow Onions

It is springtime in the Flint Hills, and that means one thing: It’s pasture burning season. Those of us who are caretakers of the Flint Hills know fire is the most important tool we have to maintain the last large-scale vestige of warm-season tallgrass prairie. Without it, invasive shrubs and trees would take over and the Flint Hills prairie would be no more. However, in recent years burning has come under extra scrutiny from the EPA because of air quality issues in the large cities surrounding the Flint Hills. Pardon the pun, but we had a burning issue.

A couple years ago I was at an event where a fellow Farm Bureau staffer from another state lamented he spent so much of his time dealing with the legislative process, there wasn’t much of a chance to really fight for agriculture.

I certainly admired his passion, but I believe “fight” was an unfortunate word to use. I’m not suggesting political fights aren’t necessary, rather I think they should be treated like real fights and saved for the rare instances when other options have been exhausted.