How Do I Love Onions, Let Me Count...

First are chives. I use regular chives for a mild onion flavor and the blossoms in salads . I have circle chives too, but I've never tried eating those. They are just too pretty.

Second are Egyptian walking onions. I use those instead of scallions. Both of these are now out of reach in the frozen garden.

Third are shallots. These have a mild onion flavor too ,and are my choice for winter use where mild uncooked onion flavor is called for. Some of the shallot crop is saved for seed. The seed braids hang in the background. The seed braids have a tag at the bottom that reads SEED. The seed braids are hung as high as possible hopefully beyond each reach of the cook. This has to do with past experience . No need to go there again.

Fourth are potato onions. The braid in the foreground of the photo is potato onions. They are great for cooking. Both shallots and potato onions are bunching onions. You plant one onion and get a bunch. Once purchased the same stock can be carried over from year to year. The saved seed onions and shallots will be planted in the garden very early in the spring.

Some gardeners might stop there, but not me. I said I love onions ! Onion plants get ordered in January. Wait that's NOW! Gotta go!

Well-behaved Curly Chives

The curly chives are blooming now. I don't know if they are always this late. I've never noticed.

I'm sure it's because this plant so pretty from early spring on, that the flowers are just the icing on the cake. The plant has curly leaves about a quarter of an inch wide. As time goes by they grow into a beautiful swirl, forming a cushion of green foliage. It's a low plant perfect for a spot in the front of a bed so it can show off. It looks great all summer. This clump is getting big enough that I need to think about dividing it. It is still round and flowering beautifully, but it is filling up its allotted space. I've read that the leaves have a strong onion flavor. I couldn't say. To me this plant is just too pretty to eat.