In Season: Spring Onions

Spring onion, green onion, scallion, chive — what’s the difference? First, all are in the allium family, which also includes garlic, shallots, and larger onions. Chives are some of the smallest and mildest alliums, their greens often marketed and used as an herb. Scallions and green onions are one and the same: an allium that doesn’t form a big bulb, but is grown to use the whites and greens fresh.

But spring onions are something different. Read on to learn what distinguishes this allium, how staff like to use them in their kitchen, and how we are serving them in the restaurant:

It’s really all about the stage of growth in which the plant is used. The plant is harvested when the bulb is still relatively small and the greens are still tender. Both the stems and bulb are meant to be eaten. “The spring onion isn’t going to be as potent as an onion that you're going to buy in the grocery store in the bags, which are dried and cured.” If left in the ground, the bulbs would grow larger, and the greens would thicken and harden, and it could be treated like a storage onion. But some varieties are better suited for an early harvest, and others for storage, so Josh chooses what variety he plants based on his goals.

The spring onions we’re harvesting now were planted back in November in tunnels; that's a long time to wait between planting and eating. “If you plant something out in the field in May, it will catch up super fast because the light is exceptionally long and the days are warm. But, with that November planting, we get these onions two months earlier than a crop we planted in the spring. That's two more months when you have something that not every other farm offers.” So it isn’t the most efficient planting, but it’s a great vegetable to be able to offer in the spring, early in the growing season.

Rachel Kessler, Market Garden Crew Member

You may love onions, but you don’t love them as much as Rachel. Regarding spring onions, Rachel laughs, “If you’re not using the bottom and the tops, you’re doing it wrong!” And she makes use of the entire vegetable, always. “Spring onions are great with eggs. Just finely slice the bulb, cook it quickly, just so it gets cooked through, there won’t be a sharp onion flavor even with a light sautée. Pour your eggs over top. Cook, thinly slice the green parts, and sprinkle those over after your eggs are done. It’s a fast, delicious breakfast.” 

Matthew Merrifield, Chef De Cuisine

“My favorite thing to do with spring onions is to grill them. They’re not as strongly flavored as a larger onion, but more substantial than a scallion. Just take the green tops off, split the onion in half, give that bulb a little bit of char, and eat it alongside your steak. I grill the green tops, too. Just give them a light char on the hottest part of the grill, chop them up roughly, and mix them with a little olive oil and lemon juice. I use that as the sauce for my grill cuts.”

Jen Cirillo, Director of Professional Learning

After college, Jen spent time living in Italy, where she worked at an organic farm and education center, Spannocchia. One of her favorite dishes she learned how to make there was a sformato di porri—a leek flan—and spring onions could easily replace the leeks (also an allium!). “The onions are blanched, mixed with cream, eggs, and cheese. Pour that over a layer of breadcrumbs in a casserole dish, and bake the whole thing in the oven. I made a version using Shelburne Farms Smoked Cheddar once for a party, and it was a hit. You can’t really go wrong with cream and cheese, right?” We don’t have an exact recipe, but here's something akin to Jen’s creation using fennel. The takeaway: smoked cheddar, alliums, and cream are friends. We trust this knowledge will come in handy.

As produce is available from the Market Garden, it is being incorporated into the restaurant’s menu. You will find the spring onions diced as part of the filling in our Shepherd’s Pie for Two, also featuring our pasture-raised lamb. Soon, as we move a little deeper into the growing season, the spring onions are the choice allium for the menu’s first chilled soups: strawberry, and later, cucumber gazpachos. “They have such a light onion flavor that they don’t overwhelm the dish when utilized raw,” explains Chef Matthew Merrifield.