If you are going to grow those vegetables that are essential staples in the kitchen but not that expensive to buy it is far better to search out superior or difficult to obtain varieties
One such variety is the wonderful onion Rose de Roscoff, also called rosé” onion
a French variety that the is considered so unique and superior it has its own A.O.C (appellation d’origine contrôlée)
You may not have heard of them but you parents or grandparents probably did as they became famous thanks to the
“Onion Johnnies”, onion sellers who travelled from Roscoff from the 1800s till just after the second world war to sell their produce further afield, notably in England. These “Johnnies” travelled the country on bikes, wearing strings of onions and dressed in their Breton striped tops are the source of our stereotype for the bike-riding French man!
Very versatile with their unique flavour,the Rose de Roscoff can be used as a vegetable, a side-dish or as a condiment, raw the onion is crunchy with a slight sharpness, this transform‘s and is sweet soft and fruity when cooked.
They have high vitamin C content and their long shelf-life which was also the reason they were stored in “Onion Strings” which you can platt yourself, the largest onion at the end is referred to « penn kapiten » – the Captain!
The easy to grow from sets sown either into the ground or module’s in spring and like all onions is important to keep competition from weeds down
