Wild Onions, found but not common loally
Allium canadense: The Stinking Rose
Garlic and onions don’t like to set underground bulbs here in hot Florida. I got around it by growing wild onions, Allium canadense, (AL-ee-um kan-uh-DEN-see. )
Wild onions/garlic, set bulblets on top
Any plant that smells like an onion or a garlic and LOOKS like an onion or a garlic is edible. If you do not smell a garlic or an onion odor beware you might have a similar-looking toxic plant.
All parts of the plant are edible, the underground bulbs (if any) the long, thin leaves, the blossoms, and the bulbets on top. The bulbets are small cloves the plant sets where it blossoms. I find harvesting them much easier than digging for any bulbs the wild onion might have. If there are any they are usually six inches down. But the bulbets are easily taken off and used.
Onions and garlic belong to the Lily family. The most common wild one is the Allium canadense. It has flattened leaves rather than the hollow tubes of a scallion. It can have bulbets or bulbets with pinkish white flowers or bulbets with sprouted green tails. If it sets underground bulbs they will be no bigger than pearl onions. (See recipes below ITEM panel.)
Ramps have wide leaves
Incidentally, it is often said the city of Chicago’s name is from an Indian phrase that means “where the wild onions grow.” That is poetically very inaccurate. Chicago is actually a French mistransliteration of the Menomini phrase Sikaakwa which literally means “striped skunk.” We would say ‘the striped skunk place.” The skunks were there because Allium tricoccum (Ramps) were growing there. Skunks know good food when they smell it. The nearby Des Plains River was called the Striped Skunk River.”
While northern Indians used the plants extensively there is no record of the southern Indians using them, though various southern tribes had names for the onion. Some of the tribes considered onions not edible. Ramps, A. tricoccum, (try-KOK-um) right, are also in the onion family, and very common in Appalachia. Farther north they are called “wild leeks.” Unlike onions and garlic, ramps have wide leaves but are used the same way.
Allium was the Latin name for the onions. Canadense means of Canada, but refers to north North America. Tricoccum means three seeds. Roman’s called garlic the “stinking rose.”
Allium canadense in large amounts can be toxic to cattle.
Green Deane’s “Itemized” Plant Profile
IDENTIFICATION: Onions/Garlic: Grass like basal leaves, small six-petaled flowers, odor of onion or garlic. Ramps have two or three broad, smooth, light green, onion-scented leaves.
TIME OF YEAR: Ramps in spring, onions through the summer, bulbs in fall.
ENVIRONMENT: Like most plants onions like rich soil and sun but can grow in poor soil with adequate water. Leeks like rich leaf-losing woodlands and can grow in dappled shade.
METHOD OF PREPARATION: Vegetable raw or cooked, in salads, seasoning, green, soup base, pickled. You can pickle them using red bay leaves, peppergrass seeds, and some vinegar
Onion Soup On The Trail
Two cups onion leaves and bulbs
Two cups water or milk (or from powdered milk)
1/4 cup chia seeds (optional) or grass seed
four bottom end tips of cattails
A Jerusalem artichoke
Two table spoons acorn flour (or other flour)
1.4 cup water
Put chopped onions in 1/4 water and boil for five minutes. Add the rest of the liquid, cattail and Jerusalem artichoke. Cook at low temperature. Do NOT boil. When artichoke is almost done add flour and chia seeds. Mix. Salt and pepper to taste. Serves three.
Camp Salad
One cup onion leaves and bulbs
1/2 cup Poor Man’s Pepper Grass or Mustard leaves
One cup chickweed or other mild green
Two diced tomatoes
Juice of one lemon
Tablespoon of oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Collect onions, dice, add other green items torn into small bits, added tomatoes and other ingredients, toss.
Adapted from “Wild Greens and Salads” by Christopher Nyerges
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I would like to know where I might purchase the seed or seedling for wild onions or wild garlic, would you have any idea how I might obtain this plant or weed? as some call it. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
Sandra Stanford
B&T Seeds usually has everything. Or I can send you the email address of a fellow in North Florida who has some growing on his property now.