Some plants aren’t what their name suggests they are. For instance, reindeer (or caribou) moss is really a form of lichens. Or take the blackberry lily. It is really an iris. Again, the may apple does not grow in May on a tree, but is a small plant seen often in April that is only about a foot tall! Then there’s onion grass.
When I was a youngster (this was in the 1950s to 1960s), we used to pull onion grass and sniff it. I’m not certain what the thrill was in this, but it was a ritual that had to be engaged in by all. We’d pretend we were going to eat the stuff. But is it possible to eat onion grass and not get sick?
What’s in a Name?
Easily recognizable by its odor, the plant is listed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) as wild garlic (Allium vineale L.). Both of these names suggest this weed (for such it is considered) is edible. Others associate this lawn pest with another Allium – Allium schoenoprasum. Still other species are suggested by some.
Onion Grass? Bon Appetit!
The Baltimore Brew, choosing schoenoprasum, provides a free recipe for your eating enjoyment. They suggest wild chive (as they call it) be used as a substitute for scallions and/or shallots. The recipe descriptor is: Shrimp-Pork-Onion-Grass Dumplings. Sounds tasty to me.
Then there’s Hot-Cheap-Easy’s cream cheese dip. I feel sure it’s bound to please your palate. To that end, let’s recall and re-write the old saying, “One man’s poison is another man’s meat.”
Enjoy this two-minute video!
Note: You might also enjoy Yum! Cicada Stir Fry
I think I’ll pass on the onion grass. As a child I did pull up some clover and eat it. It had a very sour taste. I did not die from this but can’t say it is entirely edible.
It sounds like you are referring to the clover look-alike Oxalis, or sour grass. Wood sorrel.
Wood sorrel is also edible! I personally like the sour taste! 🙂
So is it edible?
You can eat it, though I’m not sure you’d want to…
I’m just going to pull it up by hand. It makes my lawn look like it has hair plugs.
Interesting how folks turn their nose up to wild edibles. “Wild onion grass” is really just chives. It’s delicious. Way cheaper to harvest some from my back lawn than spend $2-3 for a bunch at the grocery store.
I’m with you. I’ve been drying it to use in place of chives. Free food!
Where do you get wild onion grass?
Generally, it grows in grass lawns. I’m not sure if it is sold anywhere.