Tuesday 4 February 2014

George's Shallots

The last few weeks I've been working with an old carpenter, George, on the roof in the rain. He's 70 and I guess I've known him for over ten years now. When I first met him he taught me how to skin a rabbit, prepare an eel, pickle a walnut- all I had to do was bring them into work an he's cook them up for lunch or show me the best way to eat them. It was quite a laugh looking back on it and I think he certainly helped fuel the fire that I had for doing all the things I love doing now.
I lost contact with him for 8 years so it's been nice to be working with him again and our conversations are pretty much what they used to be - gardening, or food related! We've been talking a lot about what we think is the best thing to grow in the garden and one of the things that came out on the top of George's list was his shallots.
He has no idea of the variety but says they grow well every year and he stores them for two years with very few problems. Then he asked if I'd like to grow them! Well it would be rude to turn him down...
So although it's a little late to be planting these, I'm sure they wouldn't have done much better in the ground over this wet winter and they should soon catch up if we have a good spring. This might be one more vegetable that I can be self sufficient in (we rarely buy them as they're too expensive anyway). I'll save enough to plant each year, eat the rest and hopefully they'll bridge the gap when we have no onions.
How well does everyone else do with shallots and do you think they'll help with the bigger picture of trying to be self sufficient?

13 comments:

  1. It's usually around this time when I buy my onion setts and shallots. Then it's scissor time. Cutting off the stalky bits to stop the birds and worms pulling them out of the ground. Some people grow alliums on ridges. I know they love wood ash and soot. I may try growing them through a plastic mulch so I don't need to weed them. Hugh Fearnley .. says no point growing them when you can buy them. I have to disagree. Must try my Leeks today.

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    1. I've been putting my wood ash where they are to be grown this year so that should help them. It might come to growing them in ridges if my land doesn't dry up! My leeks have been good so far.

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  2. I grow shallots every year and mine aren't in yet. As you say, no point with the ground being so wet. I save some of my own seed but always buy a net of new ones too, which spreads the risk of any problems. I grow golden gourmet and red sun. I find they keep longer than onions.
    Gill

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    1. Thats good to know - I know some people overwinter them like japanese onions but I never have. I think they will work well with the onions that I can store or preserve

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  3. I have grown them a couple of times and they've done well on both. You're right they are expensive to buy and this alone makes them worth growing.

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    1. I don't think I've ever bought them with the shopping - the only time we've used them is when I've grown them.

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  4. I grow them every year - and I put them in about now ( from sets, not seed) and always get a good crop even when the onions are less good.


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    1. Thats alright then - I'm not too late. mind you I caqn't see them going in for a few weeks yet as it's so wet here, unless I start them in the greenhouse or in pots

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  5. They are so expensive here that I always substitute a mild onion in a recipe when shallots are called for. Dad always grew them (Warwickshire) and told me that alliums should always be grown in the same plot...year after year after year.
    Jane x

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    1. The onions I grew last year were anything but mild! I'd be crying in the living room as my wife was cutting them in the kitchen. mind you they've lasted well.
      Not sure about the same plot thing, someone else told me the same thing about their beans

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  6. How do you store them, please? When we grew some shallots, they were lovely but the ones we tried to save to grow for the following year, didn't survive to get planted.

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    1. George says he stores them in an unheated conservatory on the side of his house, loose in draws. My onions have been hung up in the shed and they've lasted until now. They want a cool, dark, frost free place I think

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