ralleia wrote: Do you mean one ounce? Or do you really mean 1/10 of an ounce? Can you snap a picture of them? Are they plump? Do they show signs of being alive? I really do mean 1/10 of an ounce--I weighed them several times on a digital scale. :) I can't snap a picture because I planted them tonight. Are they plump? Somewhat, for as tiny as they are. Most of them do have some tiny green tips, which seems to indicate they're alive. planatus wrote; You were probably sent some little topsets, but as long as they are not dead you are in the money. Glad to hear. bi11me wrote: They sound very small to me. I've been growing these for over 15 years, and when I propagate, or give some away, I use top-sets that are the size of cocktail or pearl onions. Most of them were smaller than a dime. OK, I'll try to remember to use the largest top-set from each one later--thanks. Steve wrote: The people on these forums are incredibly generous, and I bet if you had asked here, or on the Allium Forum, someone would have been happy to send you some for nothing more than postage. I know I would have!! Next time you are looking for something, ask! Never even thought of that. :) OK, thanks, Steve. Thanks, everyone, for all the helpful replies.

Most edible allims will cross breed and insects will move pollen around. Humans have been growing onions for a long time. Most contries import tons of onions and export tons of onions. It is only recent that breeding programs have actually kept onion varieties reasonably pure. Anyone who has bought sets of onions has seen the not so rare variation in the set. So the truth is that we rarely have pure onions. It is possible to keep vegetatively reproducing onions pure, however mutation and adaption still occour, and at a faster rate than most people have been led to expect. The vegatatively reproducing onions have been classically grouped as A. cepa var. viviparum (topsetting) and A. cepa var. proliferum (root propagation.) Prokhanov and Helm concluded that all prolierous forms should belong to A. fistulosum. Originally the different species were defined by flower shapes and the forms of the leaf and scape cross section were used as supporting data. It has been observed that agricultural cepa's have been bred to each other and produced offspring with vegetative reproduction. Because topset onions are considered 'homegarden' much less research has been done on these varieties. Catawissa Onions are a strain of Egyptian Onion that appeared in Catawissa PA. In 1885, Vilmorin-Andrieux described it as 2.5 feet tall, large leafed, with reddish brown sets and the unique habit of producing topsets out of topsets. Since we have had years for mutation, crossbreeding, and new varieties to sprout, I suspect that the best way to identify a 'Catawissa' is to look for Multilayer topsets. As far as a 'True Catawissa' my experience has led me to instead look for a lovely, tasty and healthy Catawissa. Richlyn71 definitly has the qualities that have been classically described as a Egyptian Tree Onion, ie. it makes topsets. It looks simular to many of the pictures of Catawissa onions that are sold on the web, although the oldest definitions mention a large leaf. In any case Richlyn has a very nice onion, and I would love to obtain some topsets if Richlyn is amiable to some sort of exchange. Bob

Storing topsets is pretty easy. Just let them dry down like you would garlic or onions before storing them (on a screen or in mesh bags). I haven't used many in the kitchen because I have been planting the larger topsets and peeling the small ones is a pain - I could be doing something wrong, because they are supposed to be good for pickling. Just don't store them in something that does not allow air flow - they are not as dry as they seem. The bulbs have stored ok for me for replanting in the fall or early spring but by spring they would not be worth eating (they resprout quickly). For eating I take the stalk (which is to one side of the bulb after producing topsets), pull it down to the plate of the bulb, break it off and with most of the dirty skins. Then I cut off the plate of the bulb (maybe the tip too) and squeeze toward the bottom. I then take the cleaned onions and freeze them in sandwich bags for easy use. Hope this helps, best of luck!

Top setting (Allium cepa (proliferum group)) and multiplier/ potato onions are unique (Allium cepa Aggregatum group). The other category is somewhat ambiguous, sometimes called bunching onions, shallops, salad onions etc. They may be Allium cepa( the common onion), Allium fistulosum, Allium cepa Aggregatum group. Their common trait is that thier use is as small non bulbing green onions. The topsetting/Walkin/Tree/Egyptian onion is a perennial onion whose main characteristic is that it sets little onion bulb where the seedhead would form on the other types. Allium cepa Aggregatum group do seed but are noted for dividing into multiple small bulbs, which are then replanted in the subsequent year. The larger bulbing types are commonly called potato onions altho the term shallot is often applied to the whole group.. Allium fistulosum often known as Welse onions also divide into clusters of little bulbs. Some of them are also perennial. Used as bunching onions Topsetting onions are extremely pungent, the others will compete with a common storage onion. Sweetest would be the shallot. But a cured potato onion is pretty pungent. If you really want sweet onions, stick to the sweet varieties of the common onion. Candy, Granex types, Bermudas etc. Here is a link that might be useful: Egyptian Onion