Its fresh greenery with a powerful aroma defends the garden from spring to fall. The Egyptian walking onion (Allium cepa proliferum), this perennial vegetable, can be cooked, marinated, grilled, candied or caramelized, from starter to dessert.

The Egyptian onion, which arrived in New France in bulbils kept dry during the crossing, invites us to share this jewel of our food plant heritage. It can grow to one meter in a few weeks. Its bulb, not huge but among the tastiest, erects stems bearing up to three floors of aerial bulbils that flutter at the height of children’s smiles facing this unusual architecture. These come to life, ensuring the succession.

Atypical, with the appearance of oversized and disheveled chives, it flourishes in our northern climate, despite its exotic name. In the sun, with sufficient drainage, it will resist times of drought. Unless you have fertile soil, improve it with a supply of well-ripened compost. The Egyptian onion, sometimes called perpetual, shows more resilience than the average of its cousins. Repellent against several pests, it will protect your perennials such as strawberries, roses, perennial cabbage, rhubarb, sorrel, chervil, lovage. Do not hesitate to associate a row in the vegetable garden with carrots, celery, beets, cabbages, lettuce, cucumber, or peppers. After a few years, divide the tillers to maintain vigor. This will be an opportunity to offer some to any neighbor who loves simplicity. Replant a few bulbils not far from the surface to perpetuate the cycle. Since the discovery of this onion, many gardeners like us have freed themselves from the need to re-sow annual onions under artificial lighting in winter.

Universal and global, family and local, reviving all sauces and dips, the Egyptian walking onion comforts with its warm, familiar, universal aromas. You will prepare the robust and hollow stems into stuffed bites. You will naturally transform the onionets into exquisite marinades. There are many recipes where you will replace the grocery store shallot with fresher, the time of a detour by the yard. I appreciate it for its linear foliage, verticality contributing to the diversity of textures, to the visual richness. This shape gives relief, and can break the monotony of a flower bed. From a landscape point of view, its early as well as late presence gives life to the spaces which keep their brilliance until after the snow. The deer shun them. Essential edibles, they give depth to our flower beds and recipes, contributing to the health of the garden and the gardener.