Onions have been captivating the taste buds of chefs and home cooks with their versatility and depth of flavor for millennia.
Whether raw, caramelized, sautéed, or roasted, onions possess the power to transform a dish from ordinary to extraordinary.
When cooked, their distinct pungency mellows into a sweet and savory essence that enhances the complexity and balance of countless recipes.
These unassuming bulbs effortlessly impart a delightful umami note and signature texture to any dish.
All of these qualities make onions an indispensable ingredient in the hands of any cook or chef.
Here’s how to grow an endless supply.
You know you can have an endless supply of onions right in your home. All you need to do is regrow them from onion scraps.
Onion scraps? Huh?
Yes, you can regrow onions from scraps and maintain an abundant supply of them from now on.
You don’t need much to make it work, too.
The only things you’ll need will be the bottom part of the onion with the root still connected, a plastic bottle with water, long toothpicks, soil, and pots.
Of course, you’ll also need an area that receives direct sunlight, too.
Ready to grow your onions?
The first thing you need to do is cut off the bottom part of the onion. Make sure that you don’t chop off the roots.
Remove the outer layer plus some of the dried-out roots.
Take your plastic bottle and cut off the top part.
You can use a water bottle, a soda bottle, or one of those food-grade plastic containers.
How big should the bottle be? It depends on the size of the onions you’re using but a regular water bottle works.
After removing the label, fill up the bottle with water until just below the rim.
Stick a toothpick on both sides of the onion.
This is to hold it up on the water bottle. Make sure that you have enough water that it touches the onion roots.
Place them in an area that will get sunlight.
After two days, you’ll notice roots.
They’ll be growing longer and sprouts will start growing on top of the onion.
Remember to replace the water every two to three days. After nine days, the roots and sprouts will grow even longer and taller.
Now, it’s time to transfer them to the soil to continue the growing process.
Add soil to a pot or large container. Make sure that you have at least six inches of soil in your container.
Depending on the number of onions that you have, you need to have enough soil so that the onions can still be around two inches apart.
Transfer the sprouted onions to the soil.
There’s no need to plant deeply.
Just make sure that the roots are covered.
Check out the sprouts on day 40.
What do the sprouts look like?
It should be very long and tall now. Can you believe this is from the same onion scrap from a month ago? One onion has grown to dozens of sprouted onions.
This means now that they need to be transferred to the ground or an even bigger container.
Before you do that, separate the sprouts through the roots and plant them one by one. Of course, remember to water the plants regularly.
Keep the soil moist but not too wet.
By day 120, the sprouts will be bulbs.
You can harvest at this point or you can wait one more month.
Make sure that you repeat the same process every 1 or 2 weeks. This will ensure that you will have a never-ending supply of onions in your garden.
By Day 150, your onions are ready for harvesting and cooking.
Want to see the whole process of regrowing onion scraps? Watch the video below!
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