Scallion Greens From the Garden

Scallion greens, the green tops of the Welsh Onion, or in some cases, the Walking Onion, are a very easy vegetable to grow. They can be grown in a garden plot, or in a container. Unlike other onions, they do not need much space, and can be easily interplanted with other vegetables or even ornamentals. Be aware, though, that they can eventually grow very tall (this year mine grew to three feet or more!) I do not recommend growing them indoors, unless within a greenhouse or sunroom, but they can thrive in a small outdoor space, making them ideal for urban gardeners.

The leafy green tops of any variety of onion are edible, but I like scallion greens the best. The leaves of bulb onions are tough, but the leaves of scallions remain tender even when quite large. They can be used whenever one would use ordinary scallions, eaten raw or cooked for a mild onion flavor. Raw, they taste fresh and light and sharp, and they are crisp in texture. Cooked, they are tender and taste like very gentle onions.

I am frugal by nature, and a lover of plants, and these traits led me to grow scallions. It started with a bunch of scallions purchased at the market; having chopped the appetizing stems and leaves, I looked at the rooty ends and thought “What a shame to waste them.” So, I went out to the garden and planted them among my other vegetables. Within a few weeks, I saw new stems, but they were puny, so I let them be. In fact, I let them be for about the whole first year: most of them died, and those that lived were too puny, to my mind, to harvest. I added a few more bunches of root ends, and the second year, they did somewhat better. I had fabulous blooms, and snipped a few greens to enjoy.

At the end of the second year, I found that the scattered onion plants interfered with my cultivating, so I moved them all to make a border on the South side of the garden. There they have stayed, and there they have flourished. This is the third year of growth, and they are fantastically leafy! They bear many thick, succulent leaves, as tall as my waist, and large, beautiful blossoms with a delicate onion aroma. The blossoms are as edible as the leaves, and make a showy garnish for soups or salads.

I have never harvested a bulb from my garden, but this year I have often snipped greens from my little scallion border. It is best to harvest a few from each plant, rather than cutting all from one plant; this way the plant survives and keeps producing more leaves. I cut them with scissors, wash them carefully until the water runs clear, then use them in my recipes. I haven’t purchased scallions in months, and in a pinch I can substitute these greens for regular onions. The fresh flavor of these greens beats anything you will find at a grocery store.

You can use scallion greens in recipes like Black Bean Salad, Savory Southwest Crêpes, and Spiral Spanakopita.

This is my entry for this week’s Weekend Herb Blogging, hosted this week by Astrid at Paulchen’s FoodBlog.