Each phase of growth and development in onions offers a new way to enjoy them and a different taste to delight the palate. You’ll miss all that if you don’t grow your own.
Scallions – good to the last morsel!
I wouldn’t feel free to eat the leaves of scallions purchased at the grocery store, but the leaves of my scallions in the garden are so beautiful and sooooo- good tasting (and free from poisons). So, I can enjoy almost the entire plant in any dish that calls for scallions.
The same applies to spring onions.
Just past the spring onion stage — I like to enjoy them steamed or baked with a little butter or perhaps a light sauce of some kind. They can be served as part of the most elegant meal if they have the taste and flavor that comes from growing in your garden.
Try them marinated with other vegetables or meats on the grill shish kebab style.
As they get bigger they’re still sweet and mild for several months —- and filled with flavor. One night I cut up too many for dinner so I just added a little splash of white wine vinegar and olive oil and ate them. Sweet and delicious. You couldn’t do that with store-boughts I’ll bet.
Even as they age and become a bit more pungent in the fall they still taste wonderful and much better than onions from the store.
Another great reason to grow your own is to have enough quality ingredients for your recipes especially during the holidays when you want things to be at there very best. Onions go in so many things and it’s nice not to be limited in the amount of quality ingredients you can get.
Another bonus in growing your own is that they’re not saturated with growth inhibitors and other chemicals.
After all these years of growing onions I am still not sure what I consider the onion’s moment of greatest flavor. But I’m looking forward to many more years of trying to decide. 🙂
‘Cause when you grow your own you can be extravagant and explore all the possible ways to delight the palate using onions.
If you have only experienced onions from the store, you can’t possibly know how wonderful and delicious onions from your garden can be.
If you don’t grow your own, I hope you will be encouraged to do so next spring. (It’s easy.)
If you already grow a few, I hope you’ll increase the numbers and enjoy them most of the year.
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After reading your posts about onions I really want to try them next year since my husband and I love to eat them! When do you typically plant onions and where do you recommend getting the sets from?
Hi Christine,
I’m glad the post inspired you to want to try onions. You’ll be glad you did because there is nothing like growing your own!
I plant onion seedlings rather than sets. I have ordered from Dixondale Farms for many years. They are THE onion people in the country. I only wish they grew organic.
They tried to ——–in response to requests from organic gardners —– but they found the price for the onions would be so high they would not be able to sell them.
Anyway – seedlings are small and by the time they get into my nice organic soil they do wonderfully.
I plant several times —– months earlier than most people in this area plant. (I am not a conventional gardener.)
I will do an article around the first of the year, giving you a lot more detail in plenty of time for you to plan your approach.
What area are you in? How did you find my website? Sure appreciate your taking time to comment. I’ll look forward to hearing from you again.
Best,
Theresa
Thanks for the tip about Dixondale Farms. I bookmarked the site and plan on ordering from them.
I found your site when I did a search to get rid of slugs and your post about Escar-go came up. I ordered some and it worked wonderfully. I haven’t seen any slugs since I put it down earlier in the summer.
I live in Northeast Ohio which is zone 5. I love your site and you give great advice. I look forward to your upcoming posts!
Good Morning Christine,
Thanks for letting me know how you found my site and where you are.
Glad Escar-go took care of your slug problem. It’s good stuff.
I too used Escar-go in the early spring when it was damp, but it’s been so extremely dry here since then that we’ve had no slug problem. Thus – I have not needed my Escar-go.
In wet years, I don’t know how I would get along without it!
I’m so glad you like the site. I have some interesting posts planned for the future.
Let me know when I can be of help to you.
Best,
Theresa