cooking onion leaves?

[dickymint]

Ok so I've just harvested my onions and strung them up in the garage. I know have loads of onion leaves and was thinking can I make soup out of them as it seems such a waste to bin them. Scoured the internet but couldn't find anything. Any body tried this? Thinking about sweating them down, adding some stock cubes, straining the stock then adding a load of mushrooms and maybe finishing off with cream.

[Tina K]

I think that would work. Or you could use them instead of the 'leek' part of leek and potato soup.

[unrepentant]

Hmmm......... Did you dry your onions out before stringing them up? I've always been told this is essential as otherwise they sprout. I've just hung up 100 or so after 2 weeks of dring out in the sun. If you dry them out then the leaves are all dry and............

[dickymint]

unrepentant said:

Hmmm......... Did you dry your onions out before stringing them up? I've always been told this is essential as otherwise they sprout. I've just hung up 100 or so after 2 weeks of dring out in the sun. If you dry them out then the leaves are all dry and............

My method is lift them about 10 days after the leaves have bent over then let them dry for two days in situ. Then I cut the leaves off (still green) and cure them in the garage for a week or so before stringing.
However this year I only have about 30 large ones (averaging 1.5 pounds in weight) and these will be eaten quite quickly, so I've strung them early.

Anyhow did the deed and made onion and mushroom soup consome style. We had a bowl each last night and was fine. Whats left will be spiced up and used tonight with slices of duck and noodles

PS. I use these guys to get many of my veggie plants........ http://www.mammothonion.co.uk/ excellent quality stuff.

Edited by dickymint on Friday 21st September 09:06

[bint]

If you dry them before stringing you can make the 'traditional' bunch of onions by using the leaves to weave them into a 'plaited' bunch to hang and pick when you need one.

Edited to say, if you can cook spring onion leaves in stir fry etc, why not onion?

Edited by bint on Sunday 23 September 12:03

[unrepentant]

bint said:

If you dry them before stringing you can make the 'traditional' bunch of onions by using the leaves to weave them into a 'plaited' bunch to hang and pick when you need one.

Thats what we do. Got bunches of them hanging everywhere now.