Egyptian Walking Onion

Growth habit

Herbaceous

Perennation

Long-lived polycarpic perennial

Native distribution

China to Siberia

Biocultural value

Leaves yield dye with colorfast yellows to yellow-greens. Young tender plants can be used like scallions. Top bulbils can be pickled, creamed or added to dishes to impart a delicate onion flavor.

Location

Robison Herb Garden, Pounder Vegetable Garden and Climate Change Garden

Source of plant

Pam Shade, Peter A. Hyypio

Description

The plant forms small bulbs at the top of the flowering stem, these can be eaten raw or cooked. They have a strong onion flavour and are often used as pickled onions or added to salads. As long as the bulbils are dried properly at harvest time, they store well. Bulb - raw or cooked. The bulb can be up to 4cm in diameter and has a strong onion flavour. Chopped into slices, it makes a good addition to salads and can also be used as a vegetable or as a flavouring in cooked foods. Leaves - raw or cooked. A strong onion flavour, it makes a nice flavouring in salads though it should not be harvested in quantity because this would reduce the yield of bulbils. The leaves are produced from late autumn, though we have found that harvesting them at this time will often encourage diseases such as mildew.

USDA Hardiness Zone

5

Special characteristics

other ethnobotanical uses