Page 2 of this issue features a captioned slide show on how to harvest and prepare Wild Green Onions, and further information on how to identify the plant. Botanical, historical, and medicinal information, recipes, and links can be found on Page 3.

Tools Required: Scissors or sharp knife preferred, not necessary.
Total field harvesting time: as long as it take to snip, snip, snip.
Total home preparation time: 2 minutes (depending on the quantity)
Yield: leaves, flower stalk, bulbs, bulblets, roots.
Flavor: Strong onion smell and flavor.
Harvesting Tips: These perennials come up twice a year, spring and fall, for many years.  To have your cake and eat it too, harvest all your onions at once by cutting the whole clump off about 2-3 inches above ground. The plant will sprout more leaves almost immediately. Continue in this manner all season, chopping and freezing the leaves for future use. They only sprout for about 6 weeks, so do this throughout the growing season.  If you are lucky, you'll have harvested enough to last throughout the year. (You can do the same with domestic chives, shallots, leeks etc. Just buy some at the grocery store, cut the roots off about 2-4 inches from the bottom and plant so the tops are at soil level in your garden. They will sprout new leaves and multiply for years to come.)
Storage: Keeps in refrigerator for several days, and for several months in the freezer. I chop mine up in tiny bits and freeze in a zip lock bag for handy use.
Serving Suggestions : Sprinkle like chives on baked potatoes, add to soups, stews, sandwiches and salads. Anywhere you'd use onions. The little bulbs are edible if peeled and can be chopped up with the leaves, eaten raw, pickled, roasted, sauteed, etc. The roots are tough, but are great additions to the stock pot if well washed.
Notes: A little wild onion goes a long way. They are stronger than domestic varieties. If you cut them off above ground level, they will keep growing for a longer harvesting season. While none of my reference books say it, I always get a second harvest in the fall.
Nutritional properties: Onions are said to be high in Vitamin C, phosphorus and iron, and of course, chlorophyl.
Medicinal properties: Onion and garlic are both well known anti-microbial, anti-catarrhals and immune system boosters. Eating too much can cause diahrrea. If you eat wild onions, as well as other wild greens, mosquitoes and gnats will leave you alone. Go to Page 3 to learn more.

Propagation by bulb. You can dig a single bulb or if you're lucky enough to find a clump of bulbs like I did, separate them carefully, and plant 6-12 inches apart and 3 inches deep in a place that won't be disturbed, or right out in your lawn if you don't plan to cut the grass. Partial sun seems to be their favorite spot where summers are very hot. Dig deep or you'll cut through the bulbs. Some of them are buried pretty deep. These were from 4 to 5 inches deep and had been there for many years.

Identification by flower:

The onion flower is strikingly beautiful in the landscape, arranged as an impressive cluster of flowers, ranging in color from white to pink to deep reddish pink, atop stiff round 12-18 inch stems. Each little flower has 6 pointed petals, with 6 bold yellow stamens that extend beyond the petals.

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Cultivation:
This plant lends itself very easily to cultivation. Easily grown in average, dry to medium wet, well-drained soil in full sun to light shade. Best in full sun, but appreciates some light afternoon shade in hot summer climates. Best in rocky or sandy soils, but thrives in clay soils too. No serious insect or disease problems. Foliage dies back in late summer. In Zone 8, leaves tend to sprout up again for a second crop in the fall.

 

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