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hepatica_z7

How to use walking onions

hepatica_z7
14 years ago

How are people eating/cooking walking onions? They are certainly easy to grow, but there doesn't seem to be much usable bulb. Are they mostly for green onions? Someone mentioned that they are very pungent, though.

Comments (5)

  • someguyinmaine
    14 years ago

    I use them mostly for the greens.

    Some people use the bulbs like shallots. In order for there to be any "substance" to the bulb, one needs to cut the scapes off early, like one does with hardneck garlic. It will take 2 years for a topset bulbil to grow large enough to eat.

    Some people pickle the topset bulbils, but they must have more patience than me to peel enough even for one jar of pickles.

  • bluespiritartist
    14 years ago

    I use the bulbets on top and use as garlic. They have a very sweet butter/strong garlic taste...wonderful! Use as you would garlic. One way I use is put some sliced bulbs (when they are young you dont have much to peel, it's when they get hard and brown that they are difficult)place in pan with alittle oil, add broccoli or whatever you like, shrimp cook a few minutes, add some penne pasta (cooked)alittle sea salt and parm. cheese. Quick and easy and everyone loves it!

  • hepatica_z7
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Thank you both. I'm eager to try your recipe, bluespiritartist.

    Guyinmaine, are you saying to cut off the green now, and then the lower stalk will be a usable bulb? When, now? I say stalk, as it grows pretty much straight up from the ground, about 1" in diameter, no swelling at the base. Actually, it's a lot like a leek, except fewer layers.

    As for peeling the bulbs, other onions, large or small, are easy if blanched briefly in boiling water. Maybe the bulbils are also easier to peel this way.

    hepatica

  • someguyinmaine
    14 years ago

    Most walking onions form a flower stem (a scape) similar to day lilies, where all of the leaves and flower stems grow directly from the ground. (Day lilies aren't true lilies and are actually very closely related to onions. They are edible, too, and taste sort of like onions.)

    Some walking onions form a central stalk similar to hardneck garlic, with leaves growing off of it, and topsets at the top. With the day lily like ones, when you see that flower stem, cut it off so that the plant puts its energy into making the bulb. If it doesn't get cut off, the bulb will have a hard woody stem in it and will have very little edible substance to the bulb. I don't have any personal experience with the central stalk type, but I would suggest waiting until one sees a topset bud and then cut it off above the top leaf.

  • hepatica_z7
    Original Author
    10 years ago

    Here's a follow up to my old question about using these. I've tried a lot of these ideas in the years since my original post. This spring I found a new and yummy use.

    If you catch the offshoot stalk just as it is coming up, it is quite tender. I just peeled the outer layers off several dozen (sauted those and made soup stock with them--they are quite fibrous) and cut them in 1 cm lengths and braised them. Delicious, almost like asparagus. Other years I have waited too long and the stalks get tough, even the inner layer.

    Happy Spring to all
    Hepatica

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