Shallots are also called Ascalon. It is one of the cultural varieties of onion varieties and without preliminary planting in nature does not exist. It has appeared since ancient times in the Middle East. This plant has not only a number of useful qualities, but also a very pleasant taste, so today it is widely distributed around the world.
Name history
Shallot - what is it and how to eat it? These are the questions that many people ask. He came to European countries in the thirteenth century, however, at that time he was called an escaloth (from the name of the biblical city of Ashkalon), since it was here that he was grown. With the passage of time, in many European languages this name passed into shallot. In addition, this variety of onions is popularly referred to as “shrubbery” or “quatch”. He has these bright nicknames due to his ability to make in one bush at the same time a large nest, consisting of several bulbs. Their number is different (from five to thirty pieces). It depends on the care and type of plant. However, the main difference that distinguishes shallots from other similar crops is the vegetative method of its reproduction. It is precisely because of its ability to reproduce rather quickly and with ease that culture has gained great popularity at present. Today you can very often see various varieties of such a plant as shallots. What it is is described in detail in this article. Varieties, as a rule, differ in size, shape and color of the bulbs, as well as in their taste.
What is the difference between shallots and onions?
If you do not take into account the small weight of shallots, then it, first of all, attracts attention with its ease of cultivation, considerable early maturity and increased productivity. High frost resistance makes it possible to plant this crop in the winter. Feathers in winter shallots grow quite early, and the crop can be harvested a couple of weeks before the appearance of an early ripe variety of onions.
In most cases, a crop such as shallots (seed cultivation) is cultivated due to early greenery. Such a plant has a rather long dormant period, but already in February you can get a wonderful crop from greenhouses. After the shallots are removed, seedlings of cucumbers or tomatoes are usually planted in the greenhouse.
When this culture is grown on the windowsill, the seeds used can be used a second time. In this case, the greens are removed with parts of the bulbs, which are cut below the middle. And those that remain in the pot give, in turn, a second crop. With the same species, this will not work.
Shallots - a gourmet product
Since ancient times, such a plant is considered very tasty and has very fertile seeds. Shallots are rightfully a gourmet product. It has a miniature appearance of ordinary onions, but there are narrower, not rude and tender feathers here. Its bulbs have a pleasant aroma, silky texture of pulp and a mild semi-sweet taste. This culture does not make you cry when cutting it (unlike onions), and you do not feel bad breath, so many people prefer to add it to various salads consisting of fresh vegetables.
Many recipes in world cooking contain a similar ingredient. After cooking, it usually gets a special aroma and unique taste that does not drown out the rest of the products. In addition, French chefs cook the famous onion soup exclusively from shallots, and small onions are great for preparing delicious pickled pickles served as seasoning for meat.
Growing shallots in open ground
Cultivating a culture such as shallots: what is it and what does this process consist of are fairly common questions. In many factors, its cultivation is similar to the cultivation of onions, but at the same time it is characterized by the presence of certain nuances. For example, onions, in order to avoid the appearance of unwanted shooters, are planted in warm soil, and shallots are planted quite early, in some cases even after the snow has melted and access to the garden has appeared.
In the presence of moist and cold soil, the roots grow rapidly, and then leaves appear. Therefore, shallots are often planted in the winter. In this case, it is a powerful plant with developed full-weight bulbs. If the planting was later, they find themselves in dry, warm soil and the leaves grow faster than the roots. This situation is further aggravated by the heat and lack of moisture, which can lead to a halt in the development of culture. After that, no watering can save the plant. Bulbs end their development and stop growth, while the leaves turn yellow, and the roots remain small.
Planting process and aftercare
Shallots, growing from seeds of which is quite effective, prefers fertile and loose lands. He is quite photophilous, and on fertilized soils forms a significant rosette of green leaves. That is why it requires an open and sunny location, since it has a much larger feeding area than that of a bulb plant. Usually it is grown with a distance between the beds thirty centimeters, and between the seedlings in a row - fifteen.
In spring, the depth of planting shallots is about six centimeters, and when winter cultivation is used, ten. In addition, the neck of the bulb after planting should be covered with a layer of soil of two or three centimeters.
The size of the seeds, as a rule, directly affects the yield of a crop such as shallots. What it is has been described in detail above. So, the larger the bulb when planting, the more leaves it will grow and give more yield later. However, with early forcing of greens, it is much more profitable to use smaller or medium-sized seedlings. In order to get a quality and larger turnip as a result, it is better to plant medium onions in the soil, and use large ones for food.
Features of shallots
Shallot, from the seeds of which ripe and tasty onions are obtained, has its own specific pattern. It consists in the fact that when large numbers of fruits are formed in the nests, their size is rather small. Therefore, it is quite possible to ration seedlings in nests. For this, you need to carefully scoop up the earth and remove a certain part of the fruit from the emerging plant. Those bulbs that remain in the nest grow, as a rule, larger.
Final harvesting is done immediately after the leaves have laid down. Shallots by nature belong to non-female plants, therefore, it is not necessary to leave already dug shoots in open sunlight (unlike onions). To exclude a burn, drying should be carried out under some canopy. You can store shallots at room temperature, and this despite the fact that it has two layers of husk, and if the room is cool, then it can be stored for more than a year.
In general, shallots, the photo of which can be found in this article, are highly appreciated around the world. This is due to its early delicate fragrant greens and small tasty onions, from which you can cook excellent dishes. It contains more sugar, various minerals and ascorbic acid (when compared with onions). In addition, shallots have high dietary properties, and its healing characteristics are significantly higher than that of a bulb plant.
Distinctive properties of the plant
Early ripeness is one of the main distinguishing features of such a plant as shallots. Immediately after planting, this crop grows very quickly and is ready in about a month to cut greens from it. Seventy days later there are ripe onions that are ahead of onions. In addition, shallots are quite cold-resistant, as they have the ability to freeze, and after thawing they can germinate without any damage.
Also important quality of such a culture lies in the fact that it has a characteristic ability to be conveniently stored. The shallots will not dry out, will not germinate even at room temperature and will remain until the next harvest.
Propagation by seeds and bulbs
Bulbs and leaves in various forms (raw, fried, sautéed, boiled, pickled) are usually used for cooking. The plant of sharp varieties, as a rule, is used for decoctions, stews, soups to cook minced meat, and it is also added to numerous meat, vegetable and fish dishes. Shallots, photos of which are quite common, have a sweet aftertaste and are used fresh or pickled as a snack or side dish (usually in salads).
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