How to Use and the Benefits of the Under-Appreciated Green Onion

Oh, green onions, how wonderful they are, springing forth in the cool air of spring, their aroma wafting up as feet drag across them in the grass. Green onions are the unsung heroes of the vegetable garden, cast aside as afterthoughts, but for those of us who know… we know!

Green onions are the key to garnishing effectively, dancing their playful steps around our palates as we eat our tofu scrambles, our bean soups, our tossed salads, our stir-fried feasts, and our potatoes—any way you cook them! Green onions add a flash of color, a whiff of wow, and a crunch of delight. They are a blast of freshness subtle enough to accent the entrée but outstanding enough to stand out in a dish.

And, in the garden, they are magic: easy to grow, easy to work into the mix, and easy to harvest. Plus, they are pest resistant, so much so that even the largest of garden pests—You know who are white-tailed deer!—don’t bother them.

So, let’s sing the praises in an ode to the underappreciated green onion.

Powerful Food

It’s no secret that many fruits and vegetables have lost a large part of their nutritional mojo as they have been selectively bred through the years. That’s to say that the tomatoes of today aren’t the same as the tomatoes of yesterday, neither in flavor nor nutritive value.

But, this is not the case with green onions. All of the years, it’s the onion bulb that growers have been focused on, with the greens merely being a means to an end. Well, that’s kept the green onion high in valuable phytonutrients. Green onions have all the health benefits of onion bulbs but in higher concentrations.

Super Cheap

Source: Easy Peasy Gardening/Youtube

Green onions are one of those rare cases where cheap doesn’t mean a loss of quality. Green onions are amongst the least expensive vegetables in the produce section, though they can be rightfully listed amongst superfoods like acai berries and chia seeds in terms of health benefits.

What’s more, is that green onions are available just about anywhere. They store fairly well, and they are easy to source. In fact, for those who have bought a bunch of green onions, you can regrow them in the garden by planting the white section with roots after chopping off the green stuff to eat.

Extra Versatile

Source: MEALVILLE/Youtube

While it’s true that green onions are more than likely going to be something for the savory side of life, within that realm, they pair well with most things, just like onions do. The good thing about green onions is that they have a milder flavor than onions, so they can be used raw for extra crunch and a stand-out taste.

Green onions work well mixed up in a salad, replacing the rather pungent onions often found there. They play nicely atop a pile of grains or pulses, lending some texture. They love to jive with potatoes or sweet potatoes for that matter. They can jump into slaws or slide into stir-fries. Why green onions have even been known to knead their way into freshly baked pieces of bread.

Check out a few of these delicious green onion recipes:

• Green Onion Pancakes
• Veggie Packed Thai Pasta Salad
• Cauliflower Mash
• Zesty Cauliflower Rice Pilaf
• Emerald Kale Detox Soup

Garden Delights

Source: MIgardener/Youtube

Bulb onions are a bit of a nightmare to grow, requiring all sorts of specific timing and knowledge of the sun, not to mention a long growing season. But, green onions are the do it now, get it soon garden addition that makes in grower feel like a success. They’ll work in pots, on windowsills, or in the soil (like any other plant). If you have some from the store, you can even regrow them with a jar of water and then plant!

Source: The Ripe Tomato Farms/Youtube

The other great thing about green onions, like all members of the allium (onion family), they are pest deterrents and resistant to disease. They are also perennial and cold-tolerant. Green onions will keep growing new leaves as long as the base bulb is left in the ground. They can survive outside year-round in much of the US.

Source: RHINO/Youtube

So, perhaps this can be the year that the green onion becomes fully appreciated in your home and garden. And, don’t forget, green onions can be dehydrated and pulverized into green onion powder for adding flavor in yet another way.

Related Content:

• Weekly Meal Plan: Plant-Based Recipes with the Powerful Benefits of Onions!
• Food for Free: Foraging for Spring Greens
• 15 Plant-Based Recipes Using Spring Onions!

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