Editors of Martha Stewart Living - Martha Stewart’s Vegetables: Inspired Recipes and Tips for Choosing, Cooking, and Enjoying the Freshest Seasonal Flavors

GARLIC

LEEKS

ONIONS

RAMPS

SCALLIONS

SHALLOTS

SPRING
ONIONS

As Julia Child wrote, Its hard to imagine a civilization without onions. Open any cookbook and youll see shes right. Alliums (the botanical genus includes edible bulbs such as shallots, garlic, onions, and ramps, plus those with edible leaves like leeks, scallions, and chives) season many favorite dishes. And thanks to the proliferation of farmers markets, we now have access to a wider range of these aromatic gems. Whats more, in many places, early varieties start appearing weeks after the thaw. Clearly, these bulbs are worth celebrating. But, because they are ubiquitous, long lasting, and fairly cheap, we have the luxury of taking them for granted.

Like other underground vegetables, including roots and tubers, bulbs of the allium family stockpile the energy and nutrients absorbed from the sun and earth. But bulbs store them primarily as sugars, not carbohydrates, which may explain why they go to such lengths to defend their treasures. Inside each cell, thanks to one of natures most brilliant defense systems, sulfur compounds are kept segregated from the enzymes that trigger them, divided by thin membranes; when the cells are brokenwhen you slice or bite into an onion, for examplethe chemicals combine, creating the volatile gases that can make you cry.

Sulfur and sugar: the harsh married to the sweet. It is precisely this intriguing balance that makes bulbs so deliciousand essential. These alliums lend a framework to other flavors, bringing structure and flavor to dishesand perhaps even civilizationsthe world over.

SEASONALITY

Because onions and garlic are available year-round, its easy to think they dont have a season. But spring is when they push their tender green shoots up from the earth and begin forming a new generation of bulbs below. From March through May, seek out tender young onions, garlic, and their kin at farmers marketsall are mild and excellent eaten raw.

Sweet onions, such as Walla Walla, and storage onions are left to continue growing underground through the summer and into fall; you can also find excellent examples of these at farmers markets. For garlic to produce the cloves we all know and love, the flower buds, or scapes, must be harvested in spring. Green garlic, which could be mistaken for an overgrown scallion, has a mild flavor thats brighter and fresher tasting than regular cloves. And lucky for us, these springtime delicacies are readily available at farmers markets and specialty grocers during the spring and early summer.

Ramps, also known as wild leeks, are foraged from shaded, woody areas up and down the East Coast, from Georgia to Canada, and are heralded for their garlicky flavor. Their many fans eagerly await their first appearance at farmers markets, where you can find them from March through early June (though you can also cultivate your own).

BUYING

Common onions and garlic are curedharvested when fully mature, then dried for storage. Hardiness is key when selecting these vegetables, so at the market, give them a (very gentle) squeeze. Also, avoid bruises and mold, and shun dampnessthe skins should be papery and dry. Select yellow onions for long braises and high-heat cooking; they have the strongest, richest flavor, and will hold up no matter what theyre paired with. White onions are slightly milder, and common in Mexican and South American dishes. Tamer still are red onions, with a touch of sweetness, making them the best choice for salads, sandwiches, and other dishes where theyll be eaten raw. Among the first vegetables to appear at farmers markets after the snow melts, young, green-leafed bulbsincluding scallions and ramps, as well as spring onions and garlic scapesare a welcome sight; look for bunches whose greens are firm and stiff, their bulbs bright and glossy.

NOTABLE VARIETIES

Onions: White, yellow, and red are grocery-store staples, but its worth seeking out Vidalia and Walla Walla onions, the sweetest ones of all (especially when grown in sulfur-free soil, where they absorb none of the sharpness common to other varieties). Spring onions, planted in the fall and harvested before the bulbs have had a chance to grow (in early spring, hence their name), can be found at farm stands starting in March; they are milder and sweeter than storage onions when cooked, with a notable spiciness that makes them wonderful for grilling and pickling. They resemble scallions but have a larger bulb.

Scallions: Look for purple-bulb varieties in the spring; they have the same flavor as white ones, but make a pretty garnish.

Garlic: The garlic sold in grocery stores is intended for long storage rather than flavor, making it worth the trip to the farmers market to find other varieties that are usually only available from small growers. These local heads should have larger cloves and a more pronounced flavor. They are sometimes sold still on the stalks, and some have purple stripes or a reddish hue.