One lovely morning, you find that your cooking onions have sprouted, and you are left with some of the most beautiful accidental green tops…

And an absolutely miserable, pitiful bulb that’s no longer worth eating attached.

It seems like such a waste.

The now sprouted onions were left a little too long, and they decided to come back to life; turning all of the energy within the bulb (the “onion” you’re used to eating) into a plant.

However, you don’t have to let all of that greenery go to waste

It’s time to eat some stalks!

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Can You Eat Onion Stalks?


Onions are a very unique plant, in that they send up cylindrical, hollow leaves very rapidly. The thick stalk stabilizes these seemingly tender leaves, keeping them from tumbling over in the wind or rain. The bulb (the overwintering energy storehouse for this biennial plant) provides energy to the leaves allowing them to grow so unbelievably fast. If you have ever eaten green onions or scallions, then the plant will be very familiar to you.





Contrary to what you might think, the greens of a sprouting onion are indeed edible. They may not have the strong flavor of traditional scallions or green onions, but they are still an incredible alternative for baked potatoes, omelets, burritos, quesadillas, quiches, creamed chicken, and much more. You definitely want to make sure that you wash the onion leaves thoroughly, ensuring that there is nothing lingering on them from storage.


Small critters, like spiders, could be found within the root vegetables that you are storing. If you are having to remove several sprouting onions from your pantry, please take care to avoid any insects that may be living within the many bulbs.





Other Uses for Sprouted Onions


If you want a few various ways to use up these “gonners”, try one of the ideas below! Just keep in mind that some onions are GMO and non-organic; therefore, they may have chemical residues on them or waxes, and they might not produce viable seeds. If your onions are organic and non-GMO, you will have a far easier time with the following ideas.


  • Growing Sprouted Onions in Water in Windows: If you would just like to see how an onion develops in its second year as a plant, your window is the perfect place to satisfy that curiosity. Soil would be far better to use, but not everyone has spare soil on hand; instead, a jar or a glass with water will do just fine! Place your onion root side down into a glass of water. Place the jar or glass in the sunniest window of the home, and ensure that it does not fall over. Change the water every two to three days to keep it clear and to eliminate any potential odors before they start.

  • Planting the Sprouted Onions in the Garden to Grow Seeds: You could also plant the onions outside in your garden, allowing them to grow as big as they desire. This is also an opportunity to produce seed, as these onions will not produce more onions; just seeds. You could get hundreds, if not thousands, of viable seeds for sowing in the fall!

  • Planting Sprouting Onion Bulbs for Green Onions: If you don’t plan to keep the seeds from the sprouted onions, you could instead plant them for a continuous harvest of green onions! Just cut the flower stalk when it begins to form, and continue to harvest your green onions for culinary use.





 

How Many Onions Grow from One Bulb?


One onion, one bulb.

One bulb, one onion.

The bulb is the onion, and the onion is the bulb. Great! A lot of people are quite confused by this concept, especially when it comes to wondering how you produce MORE onions for consumption. Now that you’re in tune with onion bulb itself, let’s go over the life cycle one more time:

  • An onion seed is planted, and a young onion seedling emerges.

  • A few months after sprouting, the plant begins to thicken, lengthen, and mature. A bulb begins to form.

  • As the longest days of the year come and go, this tiny little bulb begins to store energy, producing an onion bulb.

  • As the bulb nears maturity, the tops die off.

  • At this point in a garden, the bulbs are then harvested and cured/dried for longevity; giving you the onion you know and love.

  • *IF* the onion bulb is left in the ground *OR* replanted, it will pursue it’s final year of life: when spring comes, the onion grows.

  • This time, the bulb assists the onion plant in growing rapidly, far faster than any seedling would.

  • Once the plant is, once again, at mature size, it will send up a flower head.

  • The flower is then pollinated, and the seeds form. The plant dies, and the cycle repeats itself with the newly dropped seeds.