help with identifying onions?

[BuddhaGirl]

I found what looks like green onions growing on the side of the road while out on a stroll in my neighborhood...I don't have a picture to post, but they look like green onions, with little white flowers growing at the ends of the tops. The bulb looks like a green onion, but the flavor and smell seem milder.

These seem to be growing all around my neighborhood! Are they regular green onions? Are spring onions the same as green onions?

Thanks! :-)

[Warpy]

1. Where are you? That would be a help.

[BuddhaGirl]

2. Marin County, CA

Lots of foliage where I live...wild fennel grows pretty abundantly around here as well, also milk thistle.

[Warpy]

3. Right, I was trying to rule out ramp

which grows prolifically all over the southeast and which always made my tummy growl whenever anyone mowed a lawn full of it.

Ramp is typically very oniony, will bring tears to your eyes if you eat it plain, but it can be used successfully in dishes to bring in a strong onion flavor without the onion texture that a lot of people find objectionable.

Things that aren't good for us taste pretty nasty, with the exception of amanita muscaria, the death cap mushroom.

I'd be willing to take a small taste of the stuff just to see what it is really like. You could also consult the local ag office to find out what it might be before you take the chance.

[BuddhaGirl]

11. thanks Warpy

I did try a small taste...the texture is a little tougher than green onion, and tastes less strong.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. The problem with roadside wilds ..... you don't know what's in the soil ....... and ......

.... plants simply being that proximate to roadways hold car exhaust pollutants.

[grasswire]

5. there's always the possibility of dog urine, too

Just sayin'...

[Warpy]

6. I always assume that my fruits and veggies have been peed on

while they were on the warehouse loading dock. It was my mother's rationale for removing the outer lettuce or cabbage leaves and peeling everything else.

I make sure I wash my produce well.

However, the point about pollution from nearby cars is well taken. However, if it turns out to be ramp, there won't be enough of it in your food to matter. You can trust me on this one.

[BuddhaGirl]

9. yes, I had thought about that!

yuck! :-(

[Duer 157099]

7. I have those too and was wondering what they are

But these are actually in my yard, and funny thing is, I've never pulled them up to investigate, lol. I've just assumed they were some sort of onion, and those white flowers, when they mature, produce small black seeds.

And, I'm just up the road from you, so they must be a local thing, whatever they are

:hi:

Maybe this season I'll pull some up and actually investigate.

[BuddhaGirl]

10. howdy neighbor!

they are all over the place right now down here...as well as fennel and miner's lettuce. :hi:

[mtnester]

8. This time of year in Ohio, we get the wild onion/garlic going

here are some pics

http://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weedguide/singlerecord.asp?id=190

[Duer 157099]

12. Well here's a happy little quote from that link

"Toxicity: None known. However, its native relative, the wild onion, is toxic to livestock and humans."

Darn! I guess it's a good thing I haven't pulled some up to taste.

But those photos look like what I've got growing, but I'll have to look more closely.