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Saturday, May 10, 2008

Onion recycling Tutorial

I learned this tip a couple of years ago and have tried it and found that it works and is quite marvelous. I love to use fresh green onions but am always out or there is a slimy little bag of them in the bottom of the fridge.
Here is my marvelous tip for growing them yourself and recycling a bit.

Onion Recycling Tutorial
Onion 1
1. Take the onion you are using for cooking, green, red, yellow, or white, it doesn't matter.
Cut off the root end. You are going to do that anyway. For a bulb onion like a red, white or yellow, I kinda core the onion and cut out a little cone there at the root end.
Onion 2
This onion came from my garden so the roots are huge but the ones from the store work the same.
2. Take that root bit you cut off and plant it in dirt and water it well. You can directly plant this in the garden. I plant mine in a tub in my yard for easy onion access year round. You can even plant them in a flower pot in a sunny window.
Onion 3
There you have it. In a few weeks you will have tons of green onions for the picking. Actually I just take my knife out there and cut them off at the ground and they grow me another onion quickly. If you just need the green parts for your recipe, just snip off a few of the green things and chop them up. The onion plant will send up more and that will actually stop the plant from going to seed which makes the onion tough.
Onion 4
and yes I know my pot needs weeding. :o)

33 comments:

floribunda said...

what a great idea! thanks also -- I love your "spring" quilt, especially the little bird.

CathyJean said...

Thanks, Lucy
Great tip! I'm going to try it.

Yarni Gras! said...

I've been doing that for years! Never thought about a 'tutorial'...great idea!

muralimanohar said...

Lol, I used to do that, too....SO much cheaper than continually wasting the last couple in the bunch, and way fresher, too! :p

Preppy Pink Crocodile said...

Um that is brilliant! I am so going to do a big pot of onions this year. Thanks for the idea!

Also- can you tell me how to be a part of the apronista blog? I'm quickly becoming an apron addict and am curious about a blog just for aprons. pinkcrocodiledesigns @ hotmail . com

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for this tip for planting the onions. I've wanted my own because, like you, Iuse them a lot and also find them not at their best in the fridge.

zakkalife said...

What a good, practical idea. Our family actually goes through one bunch of green onions a week!

Multiflora Textilius said...

genius - love your whoe blog - but this is genius - and will save the live of 3 dig deep in the fridge onions.
Thanks a bunch for the tutorial

Anonymous said...

What a great tip! Thanks.

MichelleB said...

This is so totally cool! I'm going to do this tomorrow. I'm always digging in the refrigerator and pulling out a slimy green bag of what used to be green onions. Thanks so much!

June (planetjune) said...

This really works? It seems too good to be true! I'll definitely try it with the ends of my next green onions.

~B. said...

You have totally inspired me! I planted some today! Hope it really does work!

Ali H said...

I did this last year and had a constant supply of green onions out of a long window-box- it was incredibly easy & very successful. Sadly, the cat knocked the window-box over a few months ago and killed them all, but I've been meaning to start them again. I do them as a 'cut and come again' thing- just take as many stalks as I need at a time, and the plant sends up more.

Ali H said...

I wanted to add, it was a hell of a lot more successful than my attempts to grow green onions from seed, too. Highly recommended, and yes (for anyone wondering) it does work!

Angie said...

Are you able to do this with vadila onions and such or only green onions?

Sam said...

ummm that is neat...will it work for purple onions??

Lucy said...

It does work with most every kind of onion. I haven't tried it with Reds only because I so rarely have them and think of it at the same time. :o) I wat to try it with leeks and see if works. Hmmmm...

sandy petals said...

I have read that it will work with Leeks too.
Lucy, I love your blog and I liked this post so much that I featured you on my blog. It's friday and I am your Fan. Have a great weekend.

Sydney said...

I just found your blog and I love it! I'm curious about the green onion garden in a pot...what type of 'dirt' should I use?
Thanks!

Lucy said...

Sydney, you can use potting soil. If you are concerned about content... you can use organic potting soil. I use dirt (composted soil) left over from filling my garden boxes.

Natalie said...

Oh man, I love onions and I'm so sick of that slimy bag! I want to do this. Question - you probably live in a year-round warm climate to be able to leave these outside year round, right?

cw said...

Just found your blog on Pinterest, love the music on your page i'm going to leave it running in the background while I bum around pinning. I need a sexy apron for my wife :)

Carla said...

I don't quite understand how you do this for bulb onions. I don't get the "core" and "cone" part of your description. Do you then bury the roots only or what you have left of the bulb?

Lucy said...

Carla, Sorry that isn't clear. When I chop onions I always cu off the onion end. I cut out a little cone shapped place where the roots are and just plant that root bit just like to you do in the green onion picutes. YOu just want enough of the onion left TO grow. It is less than 1/2 an inch deep.

Mara Saxer said...

I've been doing this for a few weeks, after seeing this tutorial on Pinterest. I've found that my onions only grow one more time after I cut the root off and plant it (in a big pot in my living room). I snip off the new growth once it gets about as big as the ones in the store, then it either doesn't send any others up or any other growth gets limp and yellow and dies within a few days. Am I doing something wrong?

I mean, it's nice that I'm essentially doubling my money every time I buy green onions, but I liked the idea of just having them growing at all times perpetually.

Julia said...

I just found your blog through Pinterest. I just love the idea of growing onions year-round. Thanks for sharing your tips!

Blessings, Julia

Anonymous said...

hi, I was wondering if you leave some of the white onion stem out or do you cover it completely with soil?
thanks for the great idea btw!!!

ines

Lucy said...

Ines, It really doesn't matter. I have done it both ways and it aways grows.... well... unless my chickens come along and eat them... :) So if the whites are longer you can leave some sticking out... if they are shorter, it doesn't matter if you cover them up... they will grow. :)

Whitney & Dan said...

Found you on Pinterest. I copied this awesome idea onto the gardening section of my blog...mentioning that I got it from your blog. I am very excited to try this. Thanks for posting it.

Eka said...

Brilliant! Love to try it soonest! I put your link to my blog for my friends to see! *thanks once again!

DECO☆deniquo said...

I love love love love your blog. So cozy, so sweet, it has such a character! Oh and i'm definitely gonna try this one, umm and maybe the heart shaped aprons on the left coloumn ;)

Villy said...

Wow! Brilliant idea. Haven't ever heard about this but gonna try, for sure.

Anonymous said...

If you are trying to get the most out of your green onions, try adding soil to the stem(s) of the onion as it grows. I buy the onions for the white onion part,a little salt and it is delicious,unfortunatly, the store only sell about 2 or 3 inches of white onion with lots of green, yes, the green part is yummy too!But I really like the white.

This method of growing makes a longer white onion part as it is under the soil forcing the plant to keep growing. Start the onion root in the bottom of a 8 inch tall flower pot in 3 inches of soil. As the plant grows, add dirt to cover about 1/3 of the stem. By the time the dirt has reached 1 inch from the top of the pot, you will have 7 inches of tender white onion to munch on.

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