For months and months, the price of white onions at
my nearby Asian food store has been a stratospheric
$1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had finally dropped
to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was
said a price drop was imminent when the California
crop kicked in, but that was something like two months
ago. I can live without white onions, but I wonder
what sustained the price for so long, and what
triggered the recent price drop? It must be tough
to be an onion farmer, with such widely varying prices.

On 2010-09-27, Mark Thorson > wrote:

> what sustained the price for so long....

Greed.

> what triggered the recent price drop?

Outrage?

My local Safeway pulled that crap. I complained and demanded they
knock off the price gouging and they dropped the price.

nb

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:

> For months and months, the price of white onions at
> my nearby Asian food store has been a stratospheric
> $1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had finally dropped
> to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was
> said a price drop was imminent when the California
> crop kicked in, but that was something like two months
> ago. I can live without white onions, but I wonder
> what sustained the price for so long, and what
> triggered the recent price drop?

Just a guess, but maybe they got greedy, and bought a bunch. Then
nobody bought them, so they got stuck with them. Eventually they
realized that they could drop the price and sell them, or wait until
they got rotten and toss them.

>It must be tough
> to be an onion farmer, with such widely varying prices.

That's why farmers like short term futures markets. They let the
speculators take the risk, and they can pay their bills.

--
Dan Abel
Petaluma, California USA

In article >,
Mark Thorson > wrote:
>For months and months, the price of white onions at
>my nearby Asian food store has been a stratospheric
>$1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had finally dropped
>to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was
>said a price drop was imminent when the California
>crop kicked in, but that was something like two months
>ago. I can live without white onions, but I wonder
>what sustained the price for so long, and what
>triggered the recent price drop? It must be tough
>to be an onion farmer, with such widely varying prices.


Well, the California crops are in. I've been getting red and yellow
onions in my farm box from the Central Valley for a few weeks now (reds
before yellows).

I doubt the farmer gets that much more by the time all parties involved
have their hands in.

Charlotte
--

"Mark Thorson" > ha scritto nel messaggio

> For months and months, the price of white onions at> my nearby Asian food
> store has been a stratospheric> $1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had
> finally dropped> to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was>
> said a price drop was imminent when the California
> crop kicked in, but that was something like two months> ago. I can live
> without white onions, but I wonder> what sustained the price for so long,
> and what> triggered the recent price drop? It must be tough> to be an
> onion farmer, with such >widely varying prices.

I think you'll find the farmer sold his crop while it was still in the
ground or even before he planted it. I can't speak to your circumstances,
but we had onion problems here. Onions that normally get dried out and kept
for the entire year developed blackening and rotting in inner layers and had
to be thrown out. Some kind of disease, I suppose. It meant there was a
shortage of a necessity.

On Tue, 28 Sep 2010 10:44:30 +0200, "Giusi" >
wrote:
>
> "Mark Thorson" > ha scritto nel messaggio
>
> > For months and months, the price of white onions at> my nearby Asian food
> > store has been a stratospheric> $1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had
> > finally dropped> to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was>
> > said a price drop was imminent when the California
> > crop kicked in, but that was something like two months> ago. I can live
> > without white onions, but I wonder> what sustained the price for so long,
> > and what> triggered the recent price drop? It must be tough> to be an
> > onion farmer, with such >widely varying prices.
>
> I think you'll find the farmer sold his crop while it was still in the
> ground or even before he planted it. I can't speak to your circumstances,
> but we had onion problems here. Onions that normally get dried out and kept
> for the entire year developed blackening and rotting in inner layers and had
> to be thrown out. Some kind of disease, I suppose. It meant there was a
> shortage of a necessity.
>

That blackening of layers thing happens over here too, potatoes have
black spots inside that are not indicated anywhere on the outside and
I had to pick through a lot of heads of garlic on Sunday to find one
that didn't have blackening around the roots. What's happening to our
food? Is this part of the price we pay for fewer chemicals or is it
more serious than that?

--

Never trust a dog to watch your food.

Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> I can't say that I've noticed since I don't particularly like white
> onions. I prefer yellow or brown-skinned onions which are usually a
> decent price.

A couple weeks ago the price of yellow onion
finally broke. I can get them for $0.25/lb.
I think you must be an idiot to plant yellow
onions, while all those white onion farmers
are driving around in Mercedes and BMW's.

On 9/27/2010 2:53 PM, Mark Thorson wrote:
> For months and months, the price of white onions at
> my nearby Asian food store has been a stratospheric
> $1.99/lb, but today I noticed it had finally dropped
> to $0.99/lb. The last time this was discussed, it was
> said a price drop was imminent when the California
> crop kicked in, but that was something like two months
> ago. I can live without white onions, but I wonder
> what sustained the price for so long, and what
> triggered the recent price drop? It must be tough
> to be an onion farmer, with such widely varying prices.

I noticed at a market where green onions are usually around
US$0.50/bunch, the price had gone up to US$2 for three bunches. Doesn't
bode well. I did not buy a bunch as I was inclined to do. Sorry, I
forgot to notice the prices for white & yellow onions - my bad.

Sky

--

Ultra Ultimate Kitchen Rule - Use the Timer!
Ultimate Kitchen Rule -- Cook's Choice!!

On Sep 28, 2:17*pm, Mark Thorson > wrote:
> Wayne Boatwright wrote:
>
> > I can't say that I've noticed since I don't particularly like white
> > onions. *I prefer yellow or brown-skinned onions which are usually a
> > decent price.
>
> A couple weeks ago the price of yellow onion
> finally broke. *I can get them for $0.25/lb.
> I think you must be an idiot to plant yellow
> onions, while all those white onion farmers
> are driving around in Mercedes and BMW's.

Next time you pull up next to someone in a Mercedes or BMW with their
window down, say, "Hey, I bet you grow white onions, don't you?"

--Bryan

On 9/28/2010 5:55 PM, Sky wrote:
>
> I noticed at a market where green onions are usually around
> US$0.50/bunch, the price had gone up to US$2 for three bunches.
> Doesn't bode well. I did not buy a bunch as I was inclined to do.
> Sorry, I forgot to notice the prices for white & yellow onions - my bad.
>
> Sky
>

Here, jumbo white onions are 68¢, 99¢, or $1.39 cents per pound,
depending on where you shop.

Becca