This page is an open source resource guide for alliums. It is for growing and maintaining the most bio-diverse, delicious, and broadly applicable alliums selection possible. It contains cultural considerations, planting guidelines, descriptions, and the best places we’ve found for purchasing the species we’ve listed. As part of the One Community Highest Good food component of global transformation, this page will continue to evolve indefinitely to contain maintenance and care tips, accessioning and plant breeding and sharing information as part of the One Community open source botanical garden model, and even recipe’s, preparations, and preservation methods used on the property.
This important group includes onions, garlic, ramps, scallions, chives, rocambole, etc. Most allium forms can overwinter in ground like garlic, while some such as shallots can form perennial beds if mulched. They are eaten fresh, cooked, dried, pickled and canned, with both the bulbs and green tops utilized. Many sulphur-containing compounds in alliums are responsible for their distinctive flavor and aroma as well as their nutritional and medicinal benefits.
CULTURAL CONSIDERATIONS
Starting from seed takes longer until harvest
They can grow in dry conditions and poor soils
Alliums are planted from transplants, seeds or sets
Many types can overwinter in ground or form perennial beds
Sets (immature bulbs from the previous year) mature early, but may bolt
PLANTING GUIDELINES
Plant out in early spring or fall for overwintering types. Transplants can be started indoors in late winter for setting out in spring. Types with multiple cloves per bulb like garlic can be separated and replanted. Once spring growth commences, water as needed; alliums can withstand dry soils, but too much drought can increase pungency. Soils should have adequate elemental sulphur present or the flavor is diminished.
VIDEO COMING: Planting tutorial followed by timelapse growth videos
Baba Franchuk, a variety of Rocambole garlic, has been known to produce bulbs of 8-12 cloves as large as ½ lb. They have a robust flavour, loose reddish-brown skins that make them easy to peel, and above ground growth as tall as 27 inches (70 cm) with wide leaves. They are delicious canned and in soups.
GA#2 :: Brown Rose Hardneck Garlic
Brown Rose garlic takes 26 days to mature marbled purple-stripe and hardneck type bulbs of 6-10 cloves in 2 inch bulbs. Originating in what was the USSR, they are one of the first Purple Stripe to come up in the spring and store well enough to last to the first of the following year.
GA#3 :: Creole Red Garlic
Creole Red is a mid-to-late season garlic with a sweet and almost nutty flavor when eaten raw. This makes it exceptional when used for hummus, salsa, and pesto. It also has a great flavor when cooked. Originating from Spain, it will grow in both northern and southern climates with a slight preference for the southern areas. A moderately good keeper, this variety does not develop a particularly large bulb, usually with only 6-7 deep-purple cloves hidden by a white outer wrapper.
GA#4 :: I’Itoi Onion
I’ltoi onions are an endangered spicy, sharp, and peppery red shallot-like traditional food plant of the Totono O’odham people of southern Arizona. They are known for both their vigorous growth and bold taste. Due to their propensity to multiply rapidly (as many as 30 divisions from a single bulb), they can be used as a scallion, multiplier, or small shallot. Their fine leaves are also suitable for use as a chive substitute, though it has much more onion flavor than chives.
GA#5 :: Australian Brown Onion
Australian Brown onions take about 100 days to produce 6-18 inch (15-45 cm) fattened globes with yellow flesh that keep well. They originated in Spain but became the “Australian Brown” in the late 1800’s when seed acquired by Morse & Co. was sold to W. Atlee Burpee, who renamed it. They are flavorful, strong smelling, and great to eat canned, in soups, grilled, and deep fried.
GA#6 :: Catawissa Onion
Catawissa is a green top, white bottom, bunching onion that forms very tall (18-26 inch /45-90 cm) drooping top sets that will re-root if not removed. It is delicious pickled and perfect for stuffing with cream cheese or other spreads due to the large diameter of the hollow green portion of the plant. Green scallions from this plant are great for salads, gazpacho, and other soups or casseroles. If you remove the top sets in early August and let them dry, they can be re-planted in fall and they’ll come up in spring making bunching onions that are ready to harvest in May.
GA#7 :: Allium macleanii Onion (picked as garlic)
Formerly called Allium elatum, Allium macleanii is a rare species from central Asia with glossy, bright green leaves with umbels of rosy-lilac flowers blooming in May on 3-5 foot stems. It is a bulbous plant with linear leaves and blooms in flowers with umbels on top. Eaten as an onion substitute, it can be sliced and added to salads, cooked as a vegetable, or added as a flavoring to cooked foods.
GA#8 :: American Flag Leek
The American Flag leek produces 8-14 inch tall stalks and 1-1 ½ inch thick, delicate, mild sweet-onion flavored leeks in about 120 days. The appealing white stems, creamy yellow heart, and subtle flavor characteristics make this leek specifically popular in French cooking, soups, and salads. They are also delicious grilled, sauteed, and added to stews. Leeks are cold tolerant and can be left in the garden into fall for an extended harvest.
We will also be growing the following additional alliums:
Alliums (Allium spp.) :: GA#9 -GA#34
9. Korean Mad Dog Garlic 10. Shan Tung Purple Garlic 11. Inchelium Red Garlic 12. Jurjevich Garlic 13. Jovak Garlic 14. Kishlyk Garlic 15. Kettle River Giant Garlic 16. Kitab Garlic 17. Flat California Red Onion 18. Cochrane Old Time Onion 19. Braunschweiger Dunkelblutrote Onion 20. Danilovskiy Onion 21. Dyiament Onion 22. Giant Zittau Onion 23. Kryvitski Ruzhovy Onion 24. Stockton Red Onion 25. Stockton Yellow Onion 26. Strigunovskiy Mestnyi Onion 27. Kentucky Hill Onion 28. Serbian Topset Onion 29. Autumn Mammoth Corrine Leek 30. Babbington Leek 31. Blaugruener Herbst Leek 32. Jaune du Poitou Leek 33. Molos Leek 34. Musselburgh Giant Leek
This section will evolve to include testimonials, recipe’s, preparations, and preservation methods used on the property first, and then later with additional information from other Highest Good collaborators and teacher/demonstration hubs.
4 large yellow onions, peeled, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1/2 teaspoon salt
Directions
Heat butter in a large nonstick pan over high heat. Be careful not to burn the butter.
Add the onions and salt. Toss to coat; stirring occasionally, cook until onions begin to soften and release moisture, about 5 minutes.
Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are browned but not burned, about 30 minutes longer. (If onions start to burn, reduce heat. If onions are not browning after 15 to 20 minutes, raise heat.)
Refrigerate in a glass jar with good fitting lid for up to one week. Or, you can store unused portion in a freezer bag with all the air pressed out then sealed. Good in the freezer for up to 3 months, great to have on hand.
On a floured work surface, roll puff pastry out to between 1/16 and 1/8 inch thickness, about a 16 by 16 inch square.
With an icing or offset spatula, spread cream cheese in a thin layer across pastry, leaving 1 inch of one side bare.
Evenly sprinkle on herbs (as well as any optional additions) and add salt.
Starting with the side opposite the bare 1 inch of pastry, roll pastry into a log.
Wrap with plastic wrap and chill in freezer for about an hour, or until log is very firm but not rock hard.
Ten minutes before retrieving log from freezer, heat oven to 375°F, with one rack in the upper third and another rack in the bottom third.
Using a sharp knife, cut log into 1/4 inch slices and arrange on two parchment-lined aluminum baking sheets.
Bake for 15 minutes, then rotate pans on racks and continue to bake until pastry is well-browned and crisp to the touch, about another 15 minutes.
Transfer pinwheels to a cooling rack lined with paper towels to cool and drain before serving.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
To store, transfer pinwheels to a large, airy container and leave loosely covered in a cool dry place. Pinwheels will keep several days at room temperature. Frozen as a log, pastry will keep for weeks.