Wild Onion – Edibility

Q: I am interested in knowing if the wild onions popping up all over my yard are edible or not. One of my friends said they are poisonous.

A: Well, they are certainly edible but you won’t get kissed any time soon if you eat one! Like our culinary onions and garlic, wild onions (Allium canadense) and wild garlic (Allium vineale) are members of the onion family.

As a child, I learned of the pungency of these weeds when I tethered our cow to graze near them in our pasture. Her milk the next day had a decidedly Italian flavor! My mother simply made chocolate syrup to mix with the milk and we drank it anyway.

  • Advertisement