This Year’s Onion Harvest: Big, Bold, and Full of Heart

Posted on July 7th — Tanabata, the Star Festival in Japan
A day for wishes and quiet joy, and this year, our onions seemed to grant a few of their own.

Our home garden has once again blessed us with a thriving crop of onions this year.
To my delight, we’ve got a bunch of big ones—really hefty bulbs rolling around like treasure. It’s that satisfying “Yes!” moment.

I’ve heard that large onions don’t keep as well, but I can’t help feeling excited when they grow big.
An elderly passerby even complimented me, saying, “You’ve got some fine ones there!”
Sure, I know they won’t last long, but there’s something about growing big produce that stirs a little competitive spirit in us humans.
Maybe it gives off the impression that we didn’t skimp on fertilizer—generous and open-hearted, like the soil itself.
Or maybe it feels like the garden gods are showing us a little favoritism.

We’re sharing the bounty with our kind neighbors who always support us—especially the big ones.
Even my mother, who came to visit from my hometown, was oddly thrilled by the oversized onions and took about five home with her.
She grows her own, but I guess the appeal of eating big ones is irresistible.
Now comes the fun part: deciding what to cook with our freshly harvested onions.
Stir-fries, soups, pickles… just thinking about it feels like an extension of the garden itself. I love that part.
On the flip side, our potatoes were all rather small this year.

Still, we plan to enjoy them just as much—flavor doesn’t always come in large packages.
I like to think the taste of our garden carries a little extra human warmth.
Maybe that’s what makes it special.