Happy Boy Produce

    red spring onions

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SEASON: Spring!

Spring Onions

Spring Awakenings

Posted by Lori and Tent

After a long winter of rain and greens, there's almost nothing I look more forward to than the return of the colorful, and especially flavorful, spring onion. When I start to see the shiny bright purple orbs at market it's like spring is officially happening and I can emerge from my winter hibernation. Like a bear coming out of his cave, hungry for…onions. Luckily I only need to forage as far as farmers' market, and believe me, I eat them like I'm storing for next winter: our spring onion's season is tragically short. We only offer them for a limited time each year; as the plants mature we begin to dry cure the bulbs for storage and sale into the summer.  

Harvesting these plants before they mature is the key to their delicate, mild flavor. Spring onions share the same sharp accents and sweetness of their older counterparts without being too overwhelming, and are also juicier and more tender. Their green tops are an ingredient in themselves and can be finely chopped and used as tasty garnishes or as an addition to soup stock. Because they are so young, the bulbs can be enjoyed completely raw and require only minimal cooking. Add bright highlights to sandwiches and salads with spring onion slices, or for a true spring treat, try brushing a few small bulbs with olive oil and grilling them whole - slice up the larger ones into rounds before oiling and adding to the fire.

Storage

Refrigerate.  Remove tops from bulbs and store both in sealed bags or containers to prevent flavor transfer.  

Nutrition

Onions improve circulation and reduce blood clotting.  They also combat clogged arteries by lowering harmful LDL cholesterol and raise beneficial HDL cholesterol.   Raw and cooked onions may be antibacterial and antiviral and help ward off colds, bronchial congestion, asthma and hay fever.

Recipes & Pairings

    0 Total Recipes

Try adding raw spring onions to baby mixed greens or arugula salads as well as sandwiches. Grill sliced or whole.  Use in place of dry cured onions in recipes for a slightly sweeter, more mild flavor.