How to grow scallions in water, because we know you're considering it
A sprinkle of fresh chopped green onion makes lots of pantry meals, from ramen to stir fry to even plain rice, feel a little fancy. Luckily for you, green onions (or scallions) are also one of the easiest vegetables to regrow while staying at home.
Start with the vegetable's white end, which is the part you usually trim off before chopping. Place each end root-down in a glass or mason jar filled with enough water to cover the bulbs completely. (You can use any glass receptacle, really. Feel free to break out the fancy drinking glasses to add some visual interest.) Then put the jar near your sunniest window and wait.
Within a few days, you should start to see green regrowth. Congratulations! Your precious allium children are coming in. In another week or so, you'll probably have enough length to snip off and chop up. Congratulations again: Your sad scrambled eggs will be sad no longer.
Feel free to put multiple bulbs in the same container. (How many, of course, depends on the size of your cup.) If the scallions get too crowded, simply move them to a larger container and change out the water. If you notice the water level getting low, just refresh it a bit. There are truly no tricks to any of this!
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Stored properly in the fridge, your scallions will last for at least a week. The conventional wisdom here is to place them in a jar filled with a few inches of water, then cover the whole thing with a Ziploc-style bag.
If you happen to grow more scallions than you can use, you can store chopped-up extras in the freezer. I generally store mine in a baggie, but HGTV recommends storing them in a frozen plastic bottle to create a makeshift scallion shaker.
Green onions are probably the most iconic edible plant to grow in water — and the only one I've personally tried — but they're far from your only option. You can also try leeks (which are alliums just like scallions), bok choy, basil, or cilantro.
Your new life as a scallion farmer may end when social distancing concludes, and that's perfectly fine. But you might find that the pursuit is worth it even in normal times. A windowsill full of bright veggies is a pretty sight, after all — plus, you'll never run out.
Chloe was the shopping editor at Mashable. She was also previously a culture reporter. You can follow her on Twitter at @chloebryan.
