[Goosegirl]

Am going to try growing shallots again. I know there are round and banana-shaped ones, so what is the difference between them re- growing and harvesting; also would prefer one with a sweet taste for casseroles etc.

[oldgrunge]

There is no difference between round and banana shape shallots as regards growing and harvesting. Having grown Red Sun and Golden Gourmet ( Round ) and Pesandor (banana ), Personally, I would say Pesandor has the best flavour, and stored better too !

[Flowertot]

I grew Biztro and Mikor this year and the Biztro ones were bigger, much tastier and stored better. I would definitely grow them again - absolutely delicious roasted.

[Snoop]

Some banana shallots can grow quite big. If you're looking for small onions you can just peel and use whole in casseroles, you might do well with a round shallot or even Paris Silverskin onions, which are deliciously sweet when not pickled but have the disadvantage of not storing that well. I grew them the year before last and bunged them whole in coq au vin on several occasions. Everyone (including a restaurant chef I was a bit scared of inviting round) asked what the secret ingredient was (apart from the wine, of course!).

[AnneB]

I liked Biztro too for a round shallot, good flavour.   For a banana shaped one, I really like Longor.  It keeps very well indeed, much better than other shallots or onions I have tried.  It seems to be quite undemanding as to growing conditions too. I also like Zebrune, but have only grown that from seed. It is also a banana shallot, but gets much bigger than Longor, so I used it more like a very sweet onion when cooking.

[Gardener and Rabbit]

Longor does very well for me too, and also seems to be ready earlier than other varieties if you want to use the bed for any following crops. It's preferred in the kitchen here too, as the banana shape is easier to handle/slice.

[Salmo]

Longor, Mikor and various other French shallots seem to be more dense than the round varieties and are liked by cooks for that and their flavour. Golden gourmay, red sun and other modern round types will probably give higher yields.

[Goosegirl]

Thanks all - most helpful. As my soil is a bit heavy and gets rather wet over winter, I'll try a couple of these varieties next spring.