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Plants with Purpose - February 06
IF YOU THINK onions belong strictly in the vegetable garden, think again. Many people will have had mothers like mine who presented us, when struck down with an intractable cough, with the juice from a sliced onion steeped in sugar. Very effective – and very horrible – it was, too. Common garlic (Allium sativum) is also now recognised as an effective treatment and deterrent for infections, and for the prevention of some heart diseases.
The whole family of onions is nutritious and beneficial, but there are several perennial varieties whose usefulness makes them great candidates for the herb garden.
Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) is the best known; the fresh green leaves already shooting from the frozen ground to be added to salads and savouries. Nothing like chopped chives on buttery new potatoes! Don’t overlook the flowers – both white and pink varieties bring colour and crunch to the salad bowl.
Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) is similar, but with looser, white flowers and strap-like leaves. It smells of garlic, but is relatively mild in flavour. It is much used in Chinese cooking.
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I get rather over-enthused (according to my family) when Ramsons (Allium ursinum, sometimes known as wild garlic) appears in the local woods. The powerful smell of garlic fills the air for miles, and the large, succulent leaves may be used in lots of ways. When my son was small, he used to wrap picnic food in them to make sure everything tasted of garlic. I loved them in salads. Once Ramsons comes into flower, though, the smell becomes a bit too rank, even for me!
Native Varieties
Three strange native onions which are worth having are the Three-cornered Leek (Allium triquetrum) with its juicy, wedge-shaped leaves, Serpent Garlic (Allium scorodoprasum) whose flowering stems go on a twisty journey through space before breaking bud, and the magnificent, towering Babbington Leek (Allium babbingtonii), which can reach six feet once established! The flowers on this rare native are a weird mix of little bulbils, pink starry flowers, and long, curling flower stems, which then produce more bulbils and flowers in combination! The long, strappy leaves are excellent for culinary use.
Finally, the so-called Welsh Onion (Allium fistulosum). This excellent perennial shoots up early, resembles a monstrous chive, but bears big round white flowers that attract bumble bees like my carpets attract dog hair (inexcusably).
You can eat the leaves all summer, and the basal bulbs constantly increase and can be used as “normal” onions in the kitchen. They are called scallions. It’s a delicious, delightful and trouble-free plant, and you need never sow onion seed again!
All in all, this is a plant family worth getting to know better!
© Margaret Lear
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