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M& P Engineering sends informative and fun eblasts, like this one we received about the Egyptian Walking Onion.
Scientifically known as Allium Proliferum, and sometimes also called tree onions, top onions, topset onions, or winter onions, Egyptian Walking Onions are believed to be originally native to India or Pakistan and then later introduced into Europe. They get their famous name by the way they “walk” across a garden.
Instead of flowers, this plant produces a cluster of bulbs at the top of its stalk. If not harvested, they eventually get too heavy for the stalk to handle and flop over, touching the ground. If the soil conditions are right, the fallen bulbs will take root and grow into new plants. This is how their “walk” begins.
They are one of the very first plants to emerge from the ground in late winter/early spring. Their leaves emerge from the ground and point towards the sky. By late spring/early summer, their leaves become heavy spikes that can grow up to 60cm/90cm tall. Another unique thing about this type of onion is that bulbs grow at both ends, in the ground and in the air. The bulbs start out small and green but eventually grow larger with red or brown skins.
No need to worry about them being invasive either, they only move at a pace of a few centimeters a year. If you don’t want new plants, just harvest the top bulbs. You can plant them someplace else or eat them.
There are also several variations of the plant. Some will form long branches with few top bulbs, others will have no branches but a large cluster of bulbs at the top. All parts of the Egyptian Walking Onion are edible, and once harvested they can be stored for a few months.
SOURCE: M&P ENGINEERING
