what do you do with your walking/egyptian onions?

9 years ago

My walking onions are doing beautifully this year! I now have two nice sized clumps, all of which are producing bulblets. I've been using the stalks as well as the bulblets in my cooking, and also pulled up a couple to use the main onion root. But I have so many growing, am wondering about trying to store some of the bulblets - either preserving in some way, or as you would garlic or regular onions in a mesh bag, etc.

I know they are at least a few of RMG'ers who grow these, so curious as to what you are/have done with your walking/egyptian onions?

I could also save some of the bulblets for the fall swap for those who want to try growing them - any tips on when to harvest the bulblets for planting purposes and how best to store them until the fall would be great to hear as well.

Really like these onions (which I picked up at one of the swaps - so thank you to whomever I got them from!) - they are interesting to look at, and you can use the entire plant from root, to stalk, to top set.

Marj

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Comments (5)

luckybottom
9 years ago
Interesting you ask. The link is to the thread about salads and walking onions came up.

We use the bulb at the bottom for everything one would use globe onions, cooked or raw. Usually, we can get through all year without having to purchase ANY onions.

This past season I have taken to lopping off the tops when they start to set bulblets. They seem to put more energy into the bulb and they are not as hot. I do let a few set bulblets for the next generation.

Spring planted no tops yet in middle bed. Harvested area with ones allowed to set tops. The far bed was garlic but will be onions, soon.

Onions with their tops lopped off and the rest of the ones allowed to set tops.

Two that were just pulled out of the bed in the previous shot.

The same two, cleaned up and ready for use.

Here is a link that might be useful: Walking Onions discussed at bottom
digit
9 years ago
So thorough and with good pictures, Bonnie!

I am out of the salad days now and will be for a couple of weeks. The lettuce starts set out last are beginning to look pretty good. They are in shade nearly the entire afternoon.

The topsets are fine but I still haven't used the bulbs in several years.

Steve
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If planted from topsets, walking onions usually don't "walk" the first year, or develop only a weak stalk with small bulbs. It can depend upon the size of the bulb that was planted, though. I have one variety this year that produced a few topsets that were almost 2" across... which they have never done previously. It must be a result of the abnormally early Spring. Walking onions generally go dormant in the heat of the summer; mine are going dormant now. If I choose to, I can dig up some of the bulbs for fresh use. They have an exceptionally strong flavor, which is not easily destroyed by cooking. Makes really good soup broth, IMO. Since walking onions multiply both from topsets & from the base splitting, you can build up a large patch fairly quickly. If you wish to use some of your walking onions each year for their ground bulbs, it is best to separate them into individual plants. Some use the topsets for this; I prefer to use the ground bulbs. You can separate & plant individual ground bulbs during dormancy, but these bulbs will then split & produce clumps. You can instead divide them in late Fall, after the bulbs have already split & begun to grow. The individual plants will look like scallions at this point (which they are) and you can separate & immediately replant them with care. Those plants still might divide again in Spring, but most will form a single large bulb. You can further increase their size by breaking off the "flower stalk" as soon as it appears. Without the topsets, the plant will then direct more energy to bulb development. It is worth mentioning to anyone who has not grown them, that walking onions are exceptionally hardy perennials. They easily winter over even here, with no protection. Even the topset bulbs are hardy; I keep them in an unheated patio, and they remain viable until late Spring, or when warming temperatures cause them to sprout. You can harvest delicious scallions in early Spring, and again in late Fall. Tom, that is a nice mess of onions. I'm curious, though, about your storage comments. The varieties I grow proved to have poor storage life for the ground bulbs. How did you cure & store yours? I had planned to dehydrate some of mine as minced onions, to overcome the poor storage. It's my hope that the strong flavor will make them really suitable for drying.
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mstywoods
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks Bonnie - I knew you were one of the main folks growing these (you may have even be the person whom I got mine from!). When do you usually lop of the tops (before or after they've developed bulblets)? If I lop off some now that have bulblets, I suppose I should wait a bit to allow for the 'hotness' to come out of the main bulb/root - although I didn't notice them being hot when I used them before (perhaps the food I added them to disguised it).

I have some bulblets that are shooting small green stalks from the top - is that best for using those bulblets for new plant starts, or does it matter whether they developed those or not? I suppose I can just store those in a cool, dark, dry spot for later use like other bulbs.

Would love to try pickling them - do you have a recipe and/or tips you'd mind sharing?!

Marj
luckybottom
9 years ago
Use some now without removing the bulblets. I am thinking that Steve's heat issue is his rocky ground and location. Plus he might be thinking they are more like green onions and they are more like mature globe, no matter when you harvest.

ANY part that grows above the ground is subject to regrowth. So be very careful what you through in the compost pile or along the garage. You will have walking onions in places you did not intend.

For pickled cocktail onions I used the following recipe. It is for refrigerator style, but there are recipes on the net for water bath style. Use only the bulblets, they are more tender and small

The globe parts are the onions I use to make my dill pickles. We make them by the gallon and everything is homegrown except salt and vinegar.

Dill Pickles
6 c. water
2 c. vinegar
1/2 c. canning salt
hand full walking onions, large ones split in half
large bunch of fresh dill
2-4 garlic cloves, pealed

Bring water, vinegar, salt to a boil. Layer washed cucumbers, onions, garlic and dill in 1 gallon jar. Pour hot solution into jar, completely covering cucumbers. Place lid on jar and let set on counter for 3-4 hours. Refrigerate until use, ready to eat in 2-4 days.

Terry has a small frig in his tack room and 4 jars fit. We still have one jar left from last year and the pickles are still really pretty good.

Here is a link that might be useful: Cocktail Onions
mstywoods
Original Author
9 years ago
I harvested some for mature globes, bulbils, and stalks - I'm using the globes in cooking (taste just fine) and I made a jar of the cocktail onions (using the recipe you linked to. Will be making more I'm sure!) using the bulbils, then I used the stalks to make some onion broth (the stalks now are pretty fibrous and tough, but still full of flavor).

Great stuff!!

what do you do with your walking/egyptian onions?

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luckybottom

digit

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what do you do with your walking/egyptian onions?

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luckybottom

digit

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