It’s a start. Whenever they reach 3-4″ (7.5-10cm), I trim back the onions to about 1″ (2.5cm), and now they’re thick enough to collect and EAT! I don’t have the greenhouse up yet, so didn’t start lettuce REALLY early, so it’s not a whole seedling trimmings salad like last year… But these baby greens are great: tender, with a delicate onion flavor and just a bit of bite. Taste-wise, they’re easily over-powered by stronger, heavier foods. We tried them on burgers and in a salad, but they’re best more on their own. My favorite: quite finely snipped and sprinkled on a boiled (farm) egg, with only salt and pepper. Tastes like the garden!
That’s exactly how and when I trim my onions. And almost exactly how I eat them. But I put them in omelets and sprinkle a few more on top with a little grated cheese. Yum! Nature is so very generous, even in the smallest of things.
We grow bunching onions, overwinter them under thick straw, and then pull the straw off when the weather starts to warm up (they can take a light frost). After a week or two of mild sunlight, they start growing again and I can start taking some from each plant to use as scallions. They’re a valuable source of greens and fresh flavours until the other crops start coming through much later in the year.
I like to boil some diced potatoes, at the same as softening diced scallions and crushed garlic in butter. Remove the scallions and garlic, up the heat and add a little more butter, and throw in the drained potatoes. Cook until the potatoes are golden, toss in the scallions and garlic, and add shredded, blanched half cabbage. Season with a good whack of crack black pepper and a little Worcestershire sauce.
Serve with home-made pickled beetroot and carrots. Mmmmm! Peasant food, but mighty good peasant food.
Now the Feds and Big Money want to ban organic farming!
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1604458/proposed_legislation_to_ban_organic.html
I’m getting ready to do this now. I harvested some spinach from the garden and some wild garlic mustard & dandelion greens. We’re going to serve them up with some homemade dressing for dinner. YUM!
John: I’m aware of 875 here in Canada, mainly because I’ve gotten email on it! There’s quite a bit of alarm and outcry, and dire analysis on blogs and in some alternative news sources. On the other hand, others don’t seem so alarmed, saying that 875 has some necessary measures, and isn’t likely to pass as is, or at all, and may be acting as a distraction from other, nastier things biotech/life sciences companies have in the works legislatively… Here’s Organic Consumers Association’s take on 875 (I tend to check in at OCA for, well, one-stop news on food issues–hope they’re good guys! :)…
HR 875 Update: The Biotech Companies are Destroying Traditional Farming (Just Not in this Bill)
From the market-farming mailing list …
http://www.actahort.org/members/showpdf?booknrarnr=194_12
Apparently, trimming onion seedlings would reduce yeld. I guess one research does not the truth make, but it is worth pondering. Perhaps try an untrimmed batch? They do get unwieldly at some point when untrimmed, though!
to all meat eaters: how would you like to be killed and eaten???
Such is your fate in future lives[ a life for a life]
how do i get rid of the baby onions in the yard
hi there,
quick question. i see that you’ve tried these on burgers. do you think they’d stand up to being sauteed?
thanks!
– lisa