Growing & Knowing Onions & Edible Relatives - PDF ebook

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Allium is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants that includes hundreds of species including field onions, spring onions, leeks, shallots, garlic and chives. Regularly eating vegetables from the allium family has a wide range of health benefits that include reducing blood pressure and offering cardiovascular protection, providing anti-inflammatory effects and anti-cancer activity. 

This book will focus on the main star of this genus Allium cepa, the common onion, but will also include other commonly cultured species that have gained economic importance over time such as shallots, spring onions, garlic, chives, and leeks.

Table of contents

CHAPTER 1 SCOPE & NATURE OF THE ONION FAMILY

How Onions are Classified
Onion History 
The Characteristic Oniony Flavour 
The Flavour of Different Alliums

CHAPTER 2 ONIONS, SHALLOTS & SPRING ONIONS
Plant Description
Conditions for Growing Onions 
Temperature and Photoperiod 
Soil 
Managing Soil Nutrient Levels
Bulbing and Bolting 
Land Preparation 
Bed Preparation 
Direct Seeding 
Transplanting 
Irrigation
Wind Protection
Nutrient Requirements 
Weed Management 
Harvesting 
Curing 
Handling and Storage 
Pests and Diseases 
IPM Management 
Some Onions to Try 
Spring Onions (Allium cepa) 
Growing Conditions 
Pests and Diseases 
Harvest 
Storage 
Spring Onion Varieties 
Bunching Onions (Allium fistulosum) 
Bunching Onion Varieties 
Shallots (Allium cepa var. aggregatum)
Shallot Varieties 
French Grey Shallots (Allium oschaninii)

CHAPTER 3 GARLIC (Allium sativum and Allium ophioscordon) 
Background
Nutrition 
Garlic Types 
Plant Structure 
Soil Type
Nutrient Requirements 
Pests & Diseases
Cultivars 
Hardneck Cultivars
Softneck Cultivars 
Harvesting 
Preserving & Storing 
Culinary uses 
Medicinal uses 

CHAPTER 4 CHIVES
Growing Conditions 
Pests and Diseases 
Chive Varieties 
Common Chives (Allium schoenoprasum) 
Siberian Chives (Allium nutans)
Varieties 
Giant Siberian Chives (Allium ledebourianum) 
Harvesting 
Storage 
Culinary uses

CHAPTER 4 LEEKS 
Conditions for Growing 
Production 
Planting 
Soil
Nutrient Requirements 
Pests and Diseases 
Harvest and Post-Harvest
Varieties
Culinary uses 
Health benefits

FURTHER READING AND STUDY
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