Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: WG. on July 28, 2007, 12:22

Title: shallots
Post by: WG. on July 28, 2007, 12:22

Has anyone discovered a use for shallots which have bolted?  I've made up some curry sauce with them (including bottom of bolted part) and it tastes very nice.  Looking for other ideas though please.

Title: Re: shallots
Post by: David. on July 29, 2007, 16:34

Quote from: "whisky_golf"

Has anyone discovered a use for shallots which have bolted?

A whole row of mine have bolted, so I'm going to save the seed from them to sow next year as I have a vague recollection that I've read somewhere that individual, seed sown shallots will grow much larger than those from sets, but I have not tried it yet.

I thought it might happen as the shallots were bought from Asda, rather than a garden centre, and were the long, cylindrical type that would benefit from growing extra large so I was actually hoping some would bolt so I would have seeds for next year (T&M only sell one variety - 75 seeds for £1.99)

Title: shallots
Post by: WG. on July 29, 2007, 16:53

Please report back if it works.  My understanding is that only some F1 Hybrids can be grown from seed (hence the high price).

Title: shallots
Post by: David. on July 29, 2007, 22:20

Quote from: "whisky_golf"

My understanding is that only some F1 Hybrids can be grown from seed (hence the high price).

Yes, just found that in Biggs, McVicar & Flowerdew, but I had had sucess with growing from seeds saved from f1 varieties before, and T&M's (+ all the others) prices for easily saved, non-F1 are still very high.

Worth trying once, as one good seed head should yield 75 seeds and I try experiment with a few things each year.