All the Campbells Had a Farm (E-I-E-I-O)

DAY 1

We love to grow things – flowers, veggies, herbs, you name it. Our gardens do need a lot of love and attention, which we are happy to give them. But, sometimes, it’s nice to be able to grow plants that require almost no effort. And, if we can eat the results, then all the better!

DAY 6

Here’s a gardening idea that costs pennies, requires no special equipment and can be done on a windowsill you already have laying around the house. What’s not to love?

It’s a well known fact that green onions are a delicious and nutritious addition to an unlimited variety of dishes. We put them in almost everything – salads, soups, veggie wraps – whatever our imaginations can come up with. Some time back, I learned that we can cut off the green parts of the onions and eat them, and instead of throwing the root parts away, they can be used to grow another batch of onions! I tried it out, and what do you know, it works!

So, here’s what we do. We buy a couple of bunches of organic green onions at the store (or a farmer’s market if there’s one going on nearby) and split them into three equal parts – one each for Jayden, Annie and Nicholas. One day, we use Jayden’s bunch for eating and plant the white parts. On another day, we’ll use Annie’s bunch and plant those. And the same for Nicholas’ bunch. Each child is in charge of taking care of his or her own onion bunch. This way, we have three onion plants in various stages of growth, and a constant supply of fresh, yummy onions in our indoor onion patch.

The directions for growing really couldn’t be easier. Place the bottom portions of several onion stalks in a jar or a glass and fill with filtered water. Place the jar in a windowsill or on your kitchen counter. Change the water daily, and watch your onions grow. Cut off the new growth as needed for your recipes. That’s it. Wow!

We’ve been able to get 3-4 harvests off each planting before having to discard the original and start again with a new batch of onions.

We save money, have fresh, organic onions whenever we like, and the children have the satisfaction of growing their own food. If only everything were this easy!