Why Our Farm Invested in an Onion De-Topper Machine

Onions are a staple in our CSA Farm Box every week. I know we use them almost every night in our cooking.

I used to grow a LOT of them. I mean, a LOT.

But in the early years of our farm business, they were incredibly time consuming and expensive to produce. In addition to seeding and transplanting them in the field, they also have to be weeded multiple times through the season because they take so long to grow. Once harvested, they must be cured, then “cleaned up.” Here’s what they look like as they’re curing:

Notice how “messy” they still look. The skins are dried up. The tops are still clinging. There’s dust and dirt. The roots are hanging off. If you try to sell that to a customer, they’ll turn their nose at it.

So we used to hand clip each of the roots, cut off the stem, and hand-rub each bulb to pull off skins. OMG. It took forever, and it wasn’t profitable. It got to the point where I didn’t want to raise onions anymore — it wasn’t fun!

That’s when I decided it was time to make this job easier. I started looking for a mechanical solution, and I found a tool called an “onion detopper.” My buddy from Wisconsin Noah Engle from Driftless Organics sold it to me. I think I paid two-grand for it.

WORTH EVERY PENNY.

Here’s a video to show you how it works:

If you’re like my wife, you’re probably looking at that machine and thinking about all the ways your kid could stumble and “fall into” that dangerous contraption.

It’s true. Dangling cords, hair, necklaces, boot laces, or clothing would pose a safety hazard.

Which is why she insisted I modify this bad boy after we used it for a season. It now sits mounted on a frame with protective sides around the edges.

Glen modified the detopper to make it safer.