If you don’t like the strong oniony taste of white onion and you’re looking for something with a milder flavor, green onions are just right. They are perfect for adding to salads without being overpowering, and they are simple to grow at home. Learn how to regrow green onions from the parts you normally toss into the compost pile or trash can.
People often confuse green onions with scallions, spring onions, leeks, and chives, since they look pretty similar, but they are actually baby, immature onions you pick before fully formed. The bulb is very small, and the tops are still green, and they are very easy to regrow after you harvest them or purchase them from the grocery store.
It’s hard to believe, but there are a variety of fruits and veggies that regrow from the bits and pieces you throw away during food preparation, and green onions are one of them. Understanding which parts to save and plant gives you an endless supply of fresh green onions straight from the garden or planter.
How to Regrow Green Onions at Home
One of the best ways to prevent food waste is to regrow green onions. They even make good houseplants. Learn the ways to grow green onions from kitchen scraps, harvest and store them, their nutritional benefits, and how to use them to make a delicious recipe.
Things to Know before Regrowing Green Onions
Can you regrow green onions? Yes, not only do these onions regrow from scraps, but growing them with this method provides you with a continuous supply of mild onions for use in recipes.
However, there are a few things to know before starting. Are leeks and green onions the same? While not exactly the same, you can regrow them the same way. Discover what these plants want for healthy regrowth.
The first step in regrowing green onions is to choose healthy onions; otherwise, the plants fail to grow. Make sure the green parts have a healthy color, and the white part has healthy roots. For soil-planting, use fertile dirt and add organic fertilizer if necessary.
Outdoor onions require about eight hours of full sun daily. If you plan on growing them in a pot indoors, make sure to pick a west, east, or south-facing windowsill where your plants receive as much sunshine as possible.
How to Regrow Green Onions in Water
There are two ways to regrow these alliums, and regrowing green onions in water is the easiest. While we often think of a pot and dirt as necessities for growing plants, this DIY technique only requires a jar of water. As an added bonus, there is no best time to plant green onions when you grow them inside. Do it any time.
When growing scallions in water, start by cutting the sprigs of green onions so you have one to two inches of stems with roots. Pour just enough water into a small glass or jar to cover the bottom of the sections.
Place the trimmed end into the water with the root side down and the top of the stem out of the water.
Set the jar or glass of water in a sunny spot of your kitchen and refresh the old water every couple of days to ensure the roots are submerged. New leaves begin sprouting in as little as three days.
Green onions and chives can grow the same way. Green onions are best in a recipe, while chives are a tasty garnish.
Ways to Regrow Green Onions in Soil
If you’d rather not fuss with growing onions in a jar of water, then the soil-planting technique is your next best choice. Here is how to regrow green onions in soil for a sunny window or outside garden bed.
Prepare the green onions for planting by cutting the stem one to two inches above the roots. Fill a container with potting soil or prepare the garden bed, and use a pencil to make a hole in the dirt for onions grow underground.
Place the green onion cutting, root side down, in the hole, and pat the dirt around the base. Water right after planting, and don’t let the soil get too dry or soggy as the green shoots grow.
How to Harvest Green Onions
You’ve planted your onion ends in water or soil and wait as they grow, but when are they ready to eat? Find out when and how to harvest after regrowing green onions.
Green Onions Harvest
When are scallions ready to pick? Green onions are easy to continually harvest as they grow, whether you plant them in water or soil. However, those grown in dirt grow larger and produce a better harvest than those in a glass of water.
Cut away the green tops as needed with a sharp pair of scissors, or remove the entire plant if you enjoy eating the white part.
Nutritional Benefits of Green Onions
While it’s easy to regrow green onions in soil or water, there are many other benefits. Learn about the vitamins and minerals these alliums contain and how they benefit your diet.
Green onions are alliums packed with vitamin C, vitamin K, vitamin A, and folate, and they are low-calorie and free of cholesterol and fat. There are many health benefits to eating green onions daily, including reducing obesity and supporting bone health.
However, in rare cases, some people have allergic reactions to eating onions, and limiting the intake of green onions and leafy greens is necessary for those taking certain blood thinners.
Ways to Store Green Onions Short and Long Term
Green onions grow quite fast, and before you know it, your kitchen counter is overflowing with them, especially if you plant a bunch at once. Here are several ways to store green onions after a bountiful harvest.
To store them in the refrigerator, cut off the root ends, slice the stalks in half, and pat them dry with paper towels. Wrap them loosely in fresh paper toweling and put them in a plastic bag before storing them in the crisper drawer for up to two weeks.
If you cannot eat them while fresh, consider freezing them. Start by cutting up the portions you desire and flash freezing them on a pan lined with parchment paper. Transfer the frozen onions to a freezer bag and store them in the freezer for up to four months.
Another way to store green onions is by drying them. Cut the green stalks into small pieces and spread them out on a food dehydrator tray. Dry them for three to five hours or until crispy, and pour them into a glass jar.
How to Make Steam-Grilled Green Onions
There are many ways to use green onions in recipes, from stir-fry to pizza, but they also taste delicious as the main ingredient for a side dish. This recipe is mildly oniony and garlicky and the perfect addition to a summer afternoon cookout.
Heat your grill on medium-low heat. While the grill heats, trim the root ends off the green onions and arrange them side by side on a foil sheet. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and garlic over them and cut the butter into pieces across the onions.
Keep the stalks flat while folding the foil over them to create a pouch. Place the packet on the grill, away from the main heat source, and cook for five to seven minutes. Be careful while opening the foil as hot steam escapes the pouch.
Regrowing green onions from the root end that typically ends up in the garbage is so simple that a green thumb is unnecessary. All you need is a jar of water or a pot of soil and a sunny window to get started, and you’ll be harvesting young onions with a mild onion taste in no time.
We hope that learning how to regrow green onions and harvest them for your favorite dishes provides you with a never-ending supply of flavor and nutrition, and we’d love it if you’d share our green onion regrowing guide with your family and friends on Pinterest and Facebook.