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lakedallasmary

how does wild onion taste compared to tame onions?

lakedallasmary
17 years ago

Are wild onions worth planting to use in cooking? Or is the taste more something you would put up if you were starving?

same question goes for wild garlic.

Mary

Comments (10)

  • rain1950
    17 years ago

    I just love Wikipedia.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Wild Alliums

  • ltcollins1949
    17 years ago

    I would be very hesitant to eat wild onions and/or wild garlic, although I do know people who swear that they are safe to eat.

    As a result of these claims, I have been doing some research on both wild onions and wild garlic. You might want to check out Texas Toxic Plant. Yes, they are referring to mainly to livestock, but I would be very hesitant to eat them.

    And according to Cornell University it states that it can be poisonous to "cattle, horses, children".

    And here is another site: FDA list.

    Toxic Plants states:

    Minor Toxicity: Ingestion of these plants may cause minor illnesses such as vomiting or diarrhea. If ingested, call the Poison Control Center or your doctor.

    So eat them if you really want to, but I think the good old 1015's from HEB are the best!

    Linda

  • lakedallasmary
    Original Author
    17 years ago

    thanks for the info.

    I have definately taken wild onion seeds off my watner seed list.

    I have read even tame onions and garlic should not be eaten on a regular basis.

  • zorba_the_greek
    17 years ago

    I've been eating wild plants all my 56 yeas, and I teach the topic. All "wild" onions are edible. All "wild" garlics are edible. But, you must remember the rule: It must look like an onion AND smell like an onion for it to be edible. It must look like a garlic AND smell like a garlic to be edible. There are a few deadly plants that look like a wild onion or a wild garlic but do not smell like them. It must LOOK AND SMELL like either an oinion or a garlic. PS: Here in Florida, the "wild" onion has cloves on top, not underground.

  • drasaid
    17 years ago

    The seeds are HOT (if you are fool enough to eat them). They won't kill you but if you eat one on the levee you'll have to run down and find a hose and faucet fast.
    My father ate all the wild onions I could find him (and he ate them raw.)

  • sandylighthouse
    17 years ago

    We eat wild onions all the time backpacking in the Sierras. The taste is indistinguishable from domestic varieties. The real downfall is the toughness and stringiness.

  • madelynsprite_yahoo_com
    15 years ago

    I LOVE WILD ONIONS.. SERIOUSLY THEY ARE GOOD WITH JUST SOME SALT. AND YOU CAN USE THE GREEN PART IN COOKING!!!

    WILD AND RAW IS AWESOME.
    THEY DONT HAVE TO BE TAME TO BE GOOD. AND THEY HELP WITH BLOOD PRESSURE.

  • stoloniferous
    15 years ago

    If you are going to eat any plant from the wild, you should learn to identify the specific plant. "Wild onion" is too generic a name, and could be referring to any number of plants. You need the scientific name.

    I grew up in a yard full of "wild onions" that my mother assumed were inedible. Turns out they were standard garden-escapee chives. :)

  • tejas55
    15 years ago

    It's unfortunate how so many people condemn one of mother nature's greatest treasures and prefer to buy asian imports of onions grown in Mexico or California with tons of pesticides when wild onions, for whom grocery store onions came from, are free for the taking and are completely organic and taste great. I've been harvesting them for years and cook with them or eat them raw regularly. It's amazing how we've become so accustomed to getting all our food from supermarkets and amazing how our ancestors survived thousands of years without supermarkets.

  • stevenwayne
    15 years ago

    they grow like weeds here we eat them all the time never have any issuse they are pretty tasty

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