Onion named for Indian spirit

Onion named for Indian spiritLast fall, Alice Byrd, a dear friend in Mesa whom we've known for more than 45 years, gave me four tiny onion bulbs. She was telling me that they are really special.

I did some research and discovered they are called l'itoi (pronounced “e-toy”). The plant is from the Tohono O'odham American Indian culture that once farmed more than 18,000 acres in southern Arizona. I found that the i'toi onion is believed to be named after the spirit that lives at the top of Baboquivari Peak near Ajo.