Potager Garden Onion Crop

Today I gathered onions from the Potager Garden.

I planted both red and yellow onions in the spring and the intention was they would be eaten as scallions. However, I didn't use enough of them so they grew into "regular" sized onions.

This is my first experience with mature onions, and it seems somewhere in my memory bank I see onions hanging in a cool dry place to cure before storage. I could have easily enough looked up how to dig/store onions but I was impatient.

I went ahead and washed them, removed the outer skins and have now stored them in the refrigerator. I believe they must not be washed if they are cured for long term use.

However, I use lots of onions in my cooking, so these will be gone in no time. I may even chop and freeze some of them for later use.

In my short experience with food gardening, I find that -- other than tomatoes -- few things are worth my time to grow except onions and garlic. I dug garlic last week, and did learn that it must be cured 6-8 weeks before storage, or even eating for that matter. I had a "bumper" crop and its curing in safe spot.

One of my favorite expressions about kitchen staples is, "give me an onion, a few potatoes, eggs, cheese and butter and we can eat well."

Frittata uses potatoes, onion, eggs garlic and cheese. A favorite Saturday or Sunday lunch at our house

Deviled eggs

Baked tomatoes with garlic, onion, Parmesan cheese and basil

Chicken salad with just a touch of onion. Sweet pickle relish, dried cranberries, celery and lots of mayonnaise are my additions. One of my very favorite things to eat.

Salsa variation: White beans, corn, onion, black olives, tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and chopped parsley.

Maybe soon I'll venture into growing potatoes, but chickens for eggs? It's an intriguing idea, and a few years back my HB consented to getting a coop and a few chickens. But his fever for that passed (the dogs would chase/kill them).

Yesterday he saw the neighbors chickens pecking around in my mother's backyard and he thought they were the cutest things. But no, he said, better not get chickens. The cats would get them. He did say we might could have a large coop inside which they would stay.  I don't know about chickens. I have about as many mounts to feed around here as I can manage.

One thing is certain: Chickens would be for the eggs, because as he said, how could you kill one of those cute things for the table when you have watched it grow and become attached to it, just as you would a pet?

Maybe I'll just stick with growing gardenias

 Inpatients and creeping jenny

A double orange day lily (from Aunt Marge)

Petunias in the window box

And Blushing Bride hydrangea (white with a tinge of blue)

Happy Monday, or Tuesday depending where you are!