I'm having a bit of a problem with my homegrown spring onions. While store-bought ones never seem slimy, the ones I grow in my garden always end up having this gooey texture on the inside. I know it's fine to eat, but I really dislike washing out all the slime before using them. Does anyone know how stores manage to keep their spring onions from getting slimy, and how I could do the same with my homegrown ones? I grow them in soil.
5 Answers
I've noticed that the slime on green onions usually comes from older ones. It's actually a natural characteristic of the plant. Store-bought onions tend to be harvested younger, so they dry out more before they hit the shelves. If you want to avoid the slime, try to pick them when they're still young — that seems to help! Also, letting them air out for a little while before storing can reduce slime too.
Washing them after cutting seems easy enough! It might just save you from the hassle of dealing with that slimy texture.
What you're experiencing is just mucilage, which is normal for spring onions. It serves various purposes, like pest deterrence. To deal with it, you can soak your freshly harvested onions in water with a little vinegar. The acid cuts through the slime, and then you just rinse them off gently. It really helps get rid of that goo!
I have no idea what slimy spring onions are unless you're talking about something unusual! I've grown them in different ways, even hydroponically, and never encountered this issue. Could you share a picture? Weird... I've never heard anyone else mention this before. Maybe it’s just the variety you’re growing?
Yeah, I've dealt with slimy onions too, especially Walla Wallas! I mostly just rinse them off when I harvest, using a wash basin outside to get rid of the excess moisture. It makes the whole process smoother.