Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Walk Like An Egyptian

Meeting Cassie, the owner and creator of Garden Girl Farm here in Point Richmond, has both widened and narrowed my horizons.

Narrowed, because now I don't have to go far afield for fresh eggs any more and widened, because when I was there last time, she pulled up and offered to me an Egyptian Walking Onion to try.

I had never heard of an Egyptian Walking Onion before so, natch, I accepted with alacrity, always fun to try something new.

It's a strange, almost weird, sort of onion, growing huge tops as much as three feet high that sprout little purple onionettes at the top which are clearly designed by Ma Nature to break off and colonize new landscapes, hence the name. Cassie's bed started with just a few but it's getting crowded now; lots of subdivision happening there.

When I got it home, I had to divide it into several pieces in order to get it into a plastic bag for storage. While cutting it, there were no tears; it has a mild onion smell. The little bulb looks like a mini red onion and I have plans involving pork chops for that part. The sturdy stems are hollow and crisp like a green pepper - I'm planning to stuff those with something involving brown rice, but I'm still mulling over the possibilities. Suggestions are welcome.

Don't you love meeting new people and opening new horizons?

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5 Comments:

Blogger Toons said...

The walking onion is intriguing, we have some walking Irises in our yard. Perhaps they could walk together. The Bangles was a nice touch, Cheers

Tuesday, June 28, 2011  
Blogger kudzu said...

This is the second reference to walking onions I've seen today -- and I had all but forgotten about them. They're quite common where I grew up in the South and you can spot them in unlikely places, like a strip between the sidewalk and street. They are very mild and well worth cooking....as for growing them? Depends on how much bare space you have!

Tuesday, June 28, 2011  
Blogger cookiecrumb said...

I am so stunned by this walking onion, I had to go look it up. I know how it walks, now.
One report said it was a potent onion, but I see Kudzu says it's mild.
Isn't it fun to try new things? I wanna try.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011  
Blogger Greg said...

Beautiful and exotic.It looks almost like a shallot...I bet you could use as such. Maybe throw them on the grill with some olive oil.

Tuesday, June 28, 2011  
Blogger Zoomie said...

James, I found the Bangles by chance but loved it - so '80s!

Kudzu, your comment has inspired dinner - check back in a few days to see how I prepared them in your honor.

Cookiecrumb, it's interesting - mild to smell but it has a little kick when eaten raw. Cassie has a bed full of them if you want to try. Call me if you come over - we could have a cup of coffee and a catchup.

Greg, I like the idea of grilling them - the crisp stems need some heat to soften them.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011  

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