MORE ABOUT THE ONION FAMILY (ALLIUMS)

Garlic from my garden, 2006                     Photo by © Ruth Zachary

Continued from the previous post -  Part 2 of Alliums.

LEEKS are tall, mild flavored alliums. They have one bulb on a single stalk, but are rich in phytonutrients, stored in the stalk and leaves. To use the leaves, buy the smallest leeks you can find. Leeks do not have a long shelf life.

             

Prepare as soon as you can after bringing them home. Cut in 1/8 inch slices, and add to greens in a stir-fry and then add the bulbs a few minutes  later. A common recipe is Potato-leek soup. Leeks are also good as a sauted dish, or in soups or pot roasts. Leeks can be frozen in pint sized freezer bags for later use. p. 65 Eating on the Wild Side

ONIONS, RED,YELLOW Many onion varieties used to be available until about 70 years ago. They were pungent and potent, offering a wide range of phytonutrients and antioxidants. Around the 1940s, and 50s sweeter varieties were grown, which originated from a variety growing  on the island of Corsica in the Mediterranean.

           

One of the most beneficial phytonutrients in onions is quercetin. This may be antiviral, antibacterial, and anti carcinogen. Most cooking processes actually increases the quercetin content. Just don’t pour off the cooking water, but use it in the soup or stew.

            

Medicinal values were also reduced. In a 2004 test-tube study, extracts of strongly flavored onions destrowed 95 percent of human cancer cells of the liver and colon.

Western Yellow onions have more antioxidants than many other popular varieties 1. pg. 58-59 Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson.

             

Some people react to eating raw onions. In some cases, onions can cause heartburn, because of a complex carbohydrate  intolerance. This can run in families. Such people with these sensitivities can’t eat onions without taking an over the counter remedy, such as Beano to supply a missing enzyme.

            

 Sweet onions may be the best choice if to be eaten raw. Red onions that are wide and flat are more sweet. The papery outer skin retains moisture and flavor. The skins retain a lot of nutrients, and they can be added to soup stock. Yellow onion skins can be wrapped in cheesecloth, and pulled out easily. They will turn the soup a golden color. Hot red onions are round or oblong and bring tears to your eyes. Hot onions are those with more nutrients. To chop or slice onions, put vinegar on your cutting board, or cut them under running water to reduce the fumes. If to be eaten on sandwiches or salad, slice pungent more nutritious varieties thin, so they appear transparent.

             

Bags of onions will last about two weeks if stored in a cool dark pantry. Do not freeze or store where the temperature drops below freezing. Some onions can be stored on the refrigerator shelf in a covered container, if cut, for instance. The crisper drawer is too humid.

             

Use pungent varieties in cooking to obtain the most nutrients. Onions can be added to the cooking pot as soon as sliced or chopped, without losing any nutrients. Cooking yellow and red onions tames their firery heat. Five to ten minutes is enough. Longer, and the flavor tends to diminish. Therefore, add onions to a dish as a last step. Heat left-overs only to eating temperature and not to boiling. Nuking also reduces the flavor.

             

Onions were used in soldier’s diet in the Civil war, and they were also used as field dressings. Onions, used in a prescribed manner, are more effective against the flu than Tamiflu vaccine.

SCALLIONS – Green Onions, spring onions, or salad onions. They have slim white bulbs,

dark green tubular leaves.. They have 140 times more phytonutrients than common white onions. Use them in preference to onions. They should be eaten soon after purchased or harvested. Store in a micro perforated plastic bag.

*SHALLOTS Shallots look like large bulbs of garlic. They have from two to four cloves inside.

They are colored mahogany, rose, gray or amber. Sometimes scallions are used instead of shallots, because of the cost, but they are high in nutritional value. Asian markets however, often have shallots at the same price as onions. Most large supermarkets carry them in season. The mild but complex flavor complements egg dishes, soups, cream soups, sauces and stir-fries. Saute them in olive oil and serve over fresh salmon, halibut or tuna. (Tuna is a fish that may contain mercury or other heavy metals.) Shallots contain six times more phytonutrients than most onion varieties. On a refrigerator shelf, shallots will last about a month.

            Shallots grow well in a home garden. Buy them through vegetable and seed catalogues,

early in the season.

CHIVES-There are two types of chives, onion chives and garlic chives, both native to the old and new hemispheres.

            

Onion chives. In the US, onion chives are most familiar. They have long tubular bright green leaves and have a mild onion flavor. They are great in omelets or as a garnish for soups. Chives often brighten sour cream for mashed potatoes. They are usually eaten raw.

            Grow them near your kitchen, and clip them off, leaving about four inches of green.

Use in salad dishes, or other recipes. If you buy seeds, be sure they are not wheatgrass seeds.

             

Garlic chives have flat straplike leaves. They are more popular in Asia, and are often called Chinese or Asian chives. They are usually sautéed. They are used in spring rolls, stir-frys, hot and sour soup,  and in many meat and seafood recipes. Usually available in Asian markets.

Garlic chives have more antioxidants than the hottest red onions. They should be used soon after harvest, but they can be stored in a microperferated bag.They are all greens and no bulb. They are used to treat many maladies, including fatigue and disorders of the kidney, liver and digestive tract.

 Garlic seeds are the main means of propagation.

Most of this information was taken from Eating on the Wild Side by Jo Robinson. 


Images on this blog are the © of Ruth Zachary.