Kitchen Garden Forum

My daughter luvs the silver skin ones you get out the shops.Can you buy the things as sets or seeds,or do you just pick your onions whilst small?

Hi Grock,
I grew some of these quite a few years ago and I think that they were called something like Paris Silver Skin Onions on the packet. Its worth looking through the seed catalogues for something with a similar name.
Hope you find some,
Jennifer

Pickling Onions are a distinct variety of onions, and generally appear in most catalogues. Paris Siverskin is the most common variety in the shops.

Having said that, you can pickle any onion or shallot as long as it is the correct size. I have grown pickling onions (Giant Zittau from Marshalls) that have grown bigger than my maincrop, and maincrop that are smaller than my pickling onions! I just grade on size, and they all taste just fine.

The one thing I would not grow again is shallots from seed. Very expensive and poor germination, altho the latter is probably my fault.

Enjoy your pickles!

I got some seeds from DT Brown. They are currently in the greenhouse

I like the idea of silverskin onions, but can you imagine what it would be like to peel the amount you'd need to pickle a decent batch? Think I'll probably give them a miss!

Ian,

I grew a shallot called "prisma" from seed last year and found it to be excellent. It grew into single shallots that were an even size, kept very well and tasted devine. I planted some of them this year to see how they go on when planted as shalots rather than from seed, plus sowed another packet which are about ready to go into the raised beds.

Thanks everyone,piglet,you not talkin to me?

Mon Cherie Grock, I will whisper sweet nothings to you all day

Hi Jude and anyone else into skinning pickling onions,

Soak the whole onion (with skins attached) in a brine solution for a day before you skin them, it makes the skins so much easier to come off.

hi viv,when i was a kid,not that long ago.i remember whole days sittin in the back yard with me mum and sister peeling the onions and crying our eyes out,for her to pickle for xmas,ooh happy days