Great question Cyn, I don't know the answer but will give it some thought. Right now I'm trying to think what I would use if I hadn't any onions. Something in the spice line?

Annette

I'm looking forward to singing birds in the spring. We've all pretty much had our fill of winter up here. The fresh snow is still pretty,
{{gwi:598658}}
but it's kind of an old ho-hum pretty compared to December. ( I took the picture on Tuesday.)

I'll put my chemistry hat on for this question. I know that onions contain different organic sulfides that contribute to their odor and flavor, so there must be some fairly common ingredient that has something chemically similar in it. Darned if I can come up with anything right now, though. I'll have to think more and maybe get a hint or two. Maybe I need a new chemistry hat. Or ...maybe we were already given a hint? Bulbs?

TM

There are certain flowers that are closely related to onions that we probably all know, but shouldn't be mentioned just yet. Maybe the answer is one of those.

TM

Hmmmm, if bulb is a clue maybe what you're looking for has an "N" or two in it's name?

Pretty picture TM but I hope we don't see any more of it up our way, so far we've had a very mild winter with just a couple of smidgens of snow that didn't hang around :). Now saying that we'll probably get a dump, never does to get too smug.

Annette

Not a spice, Annette.

Tm, you are on the right track.

The sun is out again, but it is probably too wet from all the rain earlier in the week to walk or dig outside. Our yard seems to have lots of low-lying spots that stay wet for a long time. Guess I will need to busy myself inside. :(

TM, when do you start your bouquet-selling at the farmers' market? Guess that is a couple of months off. Of course, the prep work begins in the fall, doesn't it?

I have one really good clue that I will keep under my hat for now since I think it will totally give you all the answer.

Cynthia

I am thinking of a purple flower of an herb.

I'm up early (for me) as have out of town guests arriving soon. Will need a nap this afternoon for sure.

Hmmm...I'm late to the party. I get at the kitchen table reading the newspaper, and there goes the morning!!

I am thinking of a bulb that is edible, and has been used a foodstuff, in a pinch. Not sure what the flavour is like though......is it a pretty flower??

Nancy - whose neighbourhood resembles TM's~~

Leave behind the notion of something you think of that you already know to be edible. Bulb is right, but think outside the box.

I have been re-arranging furniture (yes, again-keeps me out of trouble-ha). I am in the mood to clean, but with all the dogs running in and out, bringing dirt and leaves with them, it is a bit like sticking my finger in the dike-get one hole plugged and turn around to find another leaking! Oh well. Sort of that way with the game of musical furniture as well-don't seem to have exactly what I want, but I keep trying to make it all work. Aarrggh.

Cynthia

Cyn, you've now you've got me thinking in another direction, but my lips are sealed for the moment :^).

Annette

OK, so not tulips, and not a member of the allium family....right?

Nancy.

Hmmmm, I was thinking of alliums, but I don't think they are far enough outside the box.

TM

Well, Nancy, are you saying that tulips are alliums?

I was not aware that these are edible, although they do have very pretty flowers. I have some on the dining room table right now! :) In your next-to-last post, I fugured you had the answer!

I need to call some tree companies. We have two oaks that need to come down. One is dead and the other is leaning terribly. We had a guy, Hans (always think of skates with him-ha), but I wasn't thrilled with him the last time. He is a little odd. Would love to be able to have it done while I am on vacation, so I can maybe get new ones in and started. All my hosta are going to burn, I am afraid. I hate losing the big trees. We have lost at least three oaks in the last ten years and we have a few others that aren't looking too great. So sad.

Cynthia

Yes, I was thinking tulips - the Dutch had to resort to eating them at the end of WW2 - those squirrels are no fools!! So, not them, well, how about some peppery tasting leaves and flowers?? One of my favourites for filling in flower boxes.....

Nancy.

Who said, "not them"?

??? OK. Really confused now!!

Nancy.

Nancy, I missed something, I think. Guess we'd better end this. Not sure what I said that made you think I was saying it was not tulips. By now, I guess there is no way to give anymore clues since everyone must be thinking it isn't tulips. *sigh* Anyway, that is what it is.

As Nancy said, the Dutch did eat them duringWorld War II.During the "Hunger WInter" of 1944, the German occupier stripped the Netherlands of their foodstuffs to send them back to Germany. The starving Dutch dug up and cooked their bitter tulip bulbs from their gardens in order to stay alive. In the 1990s, a chef in a Dutch city revived the practice by serving a tulip bulb soup.

I think Annette had it and of course, you did Nancy. I think I will just give everyone stars today! :)

**** for you all!

Cynthia

Oops, forgot the picture! Happy almost Spring.

How lovely, Cyn. Sorry, if I confused the issue. The Germans were pretty bad characters: the advance at Dunkirk was doable only because the French did not blow up their fuel dumps!! The Germans even charged the French a 'tax' to protect them, after they had conquered them. Like I said, I had no idea how they tasted, only that they were edible. Thanks for the brain stretch!

Nancy.

Cyn, it was your finger in the dyke clue that clinched it for me... that made me think Holland and of course Holland is famous for their tulips. As far as eating them, I didn't know they were edible, learn something new every day. Once the light bulb came on I could pick up on the other clues you gave us.

Annette

Great clues, Cynthia! Too bad I was too thick-headed to pick up on all of them. I didn't know about the Dutch eating tulips in WWII. This was a very interesting, and definitely not too easy a question. Thanks very much.

TM

Rats, I missed the party. lol
I was out house hunting with my daughter again. Made the mistake of eating a burger and cheese fries covered with gravy at a diner and boy am I paying for it!

I remember many years ago,reading about a man traveling through Holland? and he was thrown in jail for eating a tulip. He thought it was an onion.

:) Laura

I had one more clue about Buster Brown shoes (he always looked like a little Dutch boy to me) and/or Dutchboy paints.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed it and no worries, Nancy. I had no idea tulips were edible to anyone except our rodents, so I probably messed this up. :/ One reason we have more daffodils than tulips!

Also, I only seem able to add fancy stars when I am on my iPad or the Mac. Sorry for the boring ones this week.

Laura, we missed you!

See you all tomorrow. Thanks for playing.

Cynthia

I did not pick up on the Dutch clues as had no idea that tulips were edible and the Dutch resorted to eating them during WWII.

Had me wondering if daffodill bulbs are edible as they are the flower I most have on my table this time of the year. Stores run specials and one can get a nice bunch cheaply. I just looked it up and daffodil bulbs are very poisonous. Even for animals which is why the squirrels don't eat them.

Thanks, Cynthia, tulips are edible but not delicious is my new fact of the day.

Lots of snow on the ground with a light snowfall last night and a couple more expected next week. It is not melting much as temps are way below our average high of 40+F. Not expecting to get above freezing until late next week. Will start sowing tomato seeds inside next week.

Birds are starting the spring songs here.

Bobbie, re: daffodil bulbs-yes very poisonous which is probably why I still have them! :) Now, that would be a trivia question--who first discovered they were poisonous and how did he/she find out? My tulips tend to disappear, but I think that is also due to the fact that they are not as long-lived as daffodils???

Cynthia