Spring Onion Soup
My Great Grandmother, Arizona Henry, loved spring onions. She would be out in her garden this time of year, putting her onion bulbs into the ground. She was fussy about making sure those rows of onions were straight. We would walk to Hunter’s Hardware every spring to get a brown baggie full of yellow onion bulbs. The neighbor came with the tiller every spring. My sister Lisa and I played in the freshly tilled dirt. We would find cool rocks and make road tracks with our matchbox cars. I remember finding a ring in the dirt that my Grandma had lost years prior. Grandma’s favorite way to eat fresh onions was to shake salt on her plate and dip the onion bulb into the salt. That was her snack throughout the day. Her breath was always stinky during onion season.
Onions consist mostly of water and carbs. They are a good source of fiber. Onions contain vitamin C, folate, vitamin B6, and potassium. Growing onions is easy and fun, so get to planting. If you don’t have time for planting, the Farmers Market is open every Sunday.
Spring Onion Soup
4 tablespoons real butter
3 bunches chopped spring bulbs and greens chopped
5 cups chicken, beef, or vegetable broth
3 large diced potatoes, cooked
1 tsp. minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
- Melt butter in a large pan.
- Add the chopped onions.
- Sauté for a few minutes, until the onions are softened.
- Add broth, thyme, and garlic, and bring the mixture to a boil.
- Simmer for 10 minutes.
- Blend onion mixture with boiled potato in a food processor until smooth.
- Then put the soup back in the pot, and bring it to a boil.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
Stacy Schultz is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist, a former Morgan County Commissioner and is the author of “It’s Stacy’s Grandma ‘Zona’s recipes.” She has been in healthcare for 35 years at War Memorial Hospital.
