You heard me! Check out these little beauties on my windowsill. If you're still buying green onions at the store, you're doing it wrong...Here's how to grow your own green onions.
These are one bunch of green onions I bought at the store so long ago I can't even remember when. That sounds kind of gross, but I assure the stalks themselves are not that old. Here's step-by-step instructions on how to never spend money on green onions again.
Regenerating Green Onions
- 1 or 2 bunches of green onions
- 1 jar or vase (see-through is best)
- scissors or knife
- water
- sunlight
- recipes that use green onions
Place the green onions in a jar or vase and fill with water until slightly above the bulb part. Place on a windowsill or somewhere the'll have plenty of sunlight. It's best if they can rest against something for when they get tall and like to flop over. The green onions will continue to grow in height, grow new stalks, grow roots, some stalks will fall over and some of the older stalks will die. This is all part of the process. When a stalks are needed for a recipe, simply snip each stalk off at the base. Try to use the stalks that have fallen over or that have a bit of yellow at the tip. Stalks that have got withered or completely yellow can be cut off at the base.
Replenish the water when it gets low. It's best to empty out the water, rinse the bulbs and then fill with completely new water every few days. The water the bulbs sit in will smell like an onion and that's okay, but it shouldn't smell like compost. If it smells really funky, the bulbs haven't been replenished with new water frequently enough and they need to be rinsed and the jar cleaned thoroughly.
The green onions will continue to grow and should last indefinitely. Be careful not to place them in a tapered jar or a jar whose body is larger than it's opening (think large jam jar or something) because the onions will grow a tremendous about of roots after awhile and they will be stuck! When there is a large enough mass of roots they can even be planted!
I adore the little blossoms on top! Now, if I was trying to get an actual bulb for eating from these onions, the blossoms would be a sign that they had bolted and didn't reach their full growth. However, since I'm not trying to grow any bulbs I just let them flourish. I think they're pretty darling. Don't let all of them blossom though because over time, they will harden stiff and won't be really edible any longer.
Have you ever grown green onions or other fruits or vegetable plants indoors? Do you have any secrets on how to keep produce regenerating? We'd love to hear your input!
