Friday, September 25, 2009

Welsh Sprouting Onion Cycles

I planted some Welsh sprouting onions ages ago, literally I would say a year ago. They were overcrowded in their pot so I thinned them out. They seemed to be everywhere in my garden, in the hanging pots (again I thinned them), in their own pots and even nestled between the silverbeet.



They grew huge and side shoots have kept me with oniony goodness whenever I need it. I do buy other kinds of onions but these are great for those last minutes 'oops I forgot my allium' moments



To this day I still have two pots left. Now they have decided to flower!



Can you eat onions after they flower or should I just collect the seed and start the cycle again?

8 comments:

Jamie said...

Prue, my spring onions are about to flower now, too, and I was wondering the exact same thing about eating them. My theory is that the older they get the stronger the flavour (that's the case with my spring onions), so I use younger ones in salads and older ones I cook with. So, the ones which flower should still be OK, but only if cooked.

PS: just voted for you in the Blotanical vote-a-thon!

PJ said...

Hi Jamie - oooh great minds think alike! Great advice re the cooking. I just wonder if the flower ones will keep producing side shoots, I guess we just have to wait and see. Oh and thanks muchly for the vote :)

Bangchik and Kakdah said...

We grow onions for the leaves, so Kakdah kept taking one or two for a menu... Never to the extent of seeing onions producing flowers and seeds.

Lisa said...

Once lettuce and herbs go to seed, you can continue to eat their leaves, but they will be bitter. That's all I know.

If you're planning to let it flower so you can save the seeds, make sure you don't eat too many of the leaves because otherwise you're taking away the plant's source of nourishment.

PJ said...

Bangchik - onions are just so tasty! I'll have to wait and see with the flowers.

Lisa - Onions have leaves? heheh JK. They're pretty bitter anyway so more bitterness isn't a worry. Same with rocket, it went to seed really quickly but rocket is bitter at the best of times, it just became super bitter rocket (that sounds like a Muse song!)

Sue Swift said...

Interesting - had never thought of eating the shoots. Will have to look into that one. I've just been over to Blotanical to vote too - you're in a tough category but my fingers are crossed for you!

Lisa said...

You don't eat the top bits of Welsh onions? Aren't they like spring onions, or am I thinking of another plant?

PJ said...

Sue - hehe thanks I have no expectations whatsoever, just lovely to be nominated. Bets of luck to you!

Lisa - I eat all of the onion, they're just like spring onions with purple bases.