The Egyptian Walking onion is a unique and prolific type of onion that you don’t have to worry about planting year after year. My husband always likes to experiment with new things and he has been happy with the Egyptian Walking onion. I had never even heard of it before, but one day a packaged arrived in the mail with the bulbs for this interesting plant.
Last fall he ordered the bulbs from a grower in Missouri. He planted them at that time, they overwintered and now they are prolific. According to my husband’s research, they grow best in light and loamy soil or sandy soil. We have sandy soil and the onions have done great. Hard soil like clay restricts the bulb.
The Egyptian Walking onion is unique because it reproduces two different ways. The stem grows like a regular green onion and when it gets tall enough, it falls over. It has a green part that creases like a sleeve and straightens it back up. At this point, it grows taller and eventually a bulb grows on the end of the stem.
When the stem gets heavy enough, everything falls to the ground and the process starts over. Under the right conditions, the bulb can grow roots. The name Egyptian Walking onion comes from this process. We usually cut the bulbs off and plant them. It also has mini bulbs underground that divide and make whole plants.
The onions have more of a sweet flavor like a shallot. I enjoy the flavor they add to stir-fry. The stem, leaves, and both bulbs are edible. It certainly provides a lot of versatility. We still need to experiment with all the ways that we can use them in our recipes. They have a different look and it is interesting to see how they grow.
