A Móra Ferenc Múzeum Évkönyve: Studia Ethnographicae 2. (Szeged, 1998)

Tóth Ferenc: Hagyományos hagymatermelés Makón

Traditional Onion Cultivation in Makó FERENC TÓTH The local variant of onion was produced in Makó as a perfect example of folk innovation. With its unique taste, long durability, multi-layer bronze-red skin, white flesh, round shape, high content of dry-pulp the onion has won a success all around the world. Folk cultivation in Makó has produced a particular method and working tools of its own. To grow eating onion directly from seed is impossible due to climatic conditions in Makó. In the first year seed-onions are grown from seeds, in the second eating onions from seed-onions, finally in the third year onion seeds are produced. Cultivation of seed-onion: The soil for onion growing used to be dug, later it was ploughed. Before sowing the land is harrowed. Seeds used to be sowed by hand, since 1920s it has been done by a hand-seeder. A short handled small hoe is used to nurse the plants. The sliding-hoe used for cleaning the space between rows came into general use seventy years ago. Harvesting the seed-onions is done by hand. The dry pieces of stalks are swept off with a shabby broom and the rows are loosened. The soil is sifted from the seed-onions picked up by hand and the onions are dried in the sun. They are classified into four or five groups with a handsorter. Eating onions with large bulb can be produced only from bigger onionseeds. Though these grow seedstalks and ripen seeds. The heat-treatment of seed-onions in winter is the unique characteristic of this technology. They used to be dried above a stove while nowadays this is carried out in a heat-treating plant. Cultivation of eating onion: In the middle of March the land worked out in autumn is smoothed out and ruled at 25-30 centimetres distance. The seed-onions are bedded, then the soil is harrowed, often also rolled down. The plants are nursed by hoeing and recently with chemical weed-killers. The onions are lifted by a short-handle onionhoe, thrown into piles, the stalks are cut by a knife and the bulbs are dried in the sun for 5-6 days. Dirt is rubbed off with a sack. The bulbs are selected, classified and put into sack of 25 or 50 kilograms. Cultivation of seed: The onions which are let seed are selected carefully. The onionfarmer takes care of the shape, colour, skin and durability of the onions. They are bedded in rows at 50-60 centimetres distance with a small onion hoe. It is hoed twice or three times until it comes into leaf. The ripened seedball is broken off and dried on the loft. They are trashed out by hand, cleaned, and the seeds are kept in linen bags in an airyplace. 117