The Muddy Kitchen: Eternal Flame

You know how some moms feel about tulips and daffodils? All in love with the gardeny goodness of a fleeting dramatic set of blooms? Well, that's how I get in June when my Egyptian Walking Onions do their thing.

This top-setting onion is hardy and, in some cases, can take over a space. Our big bed started with just one little plant, purchased at a farmer's market, five years ago. I've never pitchforked the bed to harvest the whole plant. Just snipped the green parts off when I needed them, and waited patiently for summer, when the tops of the green spears explode in  purple clusters, replete with flowery, snaky antennae, bending in all sorts of directions. I guess this is why they have the name, Egyptian Walking Onions, because all of those kooky spirals reminded someone out there of The Bangles.

In the past, I have always planted the bulbs that form at the top of each plant, in the little spaces left in the bed. I was building up my beds so that I would have more every year. This was a special year because the beds are full and most of the bulbs are available to harvest. Finally! I get to see what weird tastes like!

After beheading, pulling apart bulbs, and skinning them, I put them into sterilized canning jars, with a hefty sprinkle of cumin seeds, a few slices of jalapeno pepper, a minced mustard leaf, and a few tablespoons of minced parsley. Then, I poured in a boiling hot brine solution to cover.

Here's the recipe, brought to a boil, stirred to dissolve, over medium heat:

1 1/2 c. white vinegar

1/4 c. pickling salt

1/3 c. sugar

This sealed jar is sitting, several inches underwater, in a boiling pot right now. I'll take it out in about thirty minutes, let it cool, and wait a couple of weeks before opening it. I'm not one to predict the future, but I bet I'll be humming Eternal Flame when that big moment arrives.