Allium

Labor Day weekend Arleen, who is our "going to the cottage" caregiver, brought us a plastic grocery bag full of onions from her garden. Or at least that's what she said they were. She had planted them in the spring and now had many, many more than they could use, so she thought we might be able to use them. Or, plant them, she said.

What I could see sticking out of the bag looked like very robust green onions - so I said, sure, we'll take them along with us.

When we got to the cottage and were preparing dinner, I opened the bag, expecting to see bulb onions. But - they were shallots! Shallots are expensive at the grocery store. And Arleen was growing them in her garden? And giving them away?

Evidently shallots produce a flower head that then produces lots of little bulblets, and those can be planted. She said we could also replant the shallots she pulled from her garden. She had some of the flower heads with her as well as the shallot plants.

So - now we have shallots planted at the cottage.




And the next time Arleen came, she brought more, so we have them planted at our house.


As does my sister and my nephew.

Who knew shallots were so easy?

Though I probably should wait to see if they survive before I make that statement.

Our out of town guests (out of country, actually) arrive tomorrow. G's older daughter K and her daughter M are coming to visit for almost a week!