Onion questions

[Veggielot]

Just a couple of questions

1) How soon can you use/eat onions after picking, can you use straight away?

2) onion going to seed, can you still eat them? If not how long would it take to gets seeds and what do I need to do?

[Snadger]

Yes you can eat pickled onions as soon as they are pickled or picked for that matter.
If onions are a reasonable size and going to seed just get rid of the seed stalk and chop the rest up and freeze it.
Alliums have a rather ornamental seed head. After they have flowered put a paper bag over the head secured with a laccy band and the seeds will drop into it when ripe.

[rustylady]

Yes, you can eat freshly picked onions. In fact it's best to eat any that have bolted as soon as possible.

If you want to save seed then let the onion flower open fully. Bees love them so pollination shouldn't be a problem. As Snadger said, when the flower dries out either tie a paper bag over it or cut the dry flower head and put it upside down into a paper bag.

[Veggielot]

Thanks, I think I will have a go at the seeds, not had a go at producing my own seeds before always thought it would be to difficult/trouble but you have convinced me to have a go.

[BUFFS]

the old guy next door years ago used to pull an onion,peel it and eat it like an apple,telling me he hadnt seen a doctor since before he was wed,at about mid 70s,it obviously wasnt doing him any harm,but i bet he didnt do much smooching on the back seats of the local flicks...