Since there has been a lot of interest in growing calçots (probably as it’s calçotada time) here’s how to do it yourself.  These are a traditional Catalan delicacy that can be grown all over the world.

How to Grow Calçots:

• In spring/summer prepare the bed where you wish to grow calçots.  Enriching with at least 4″ of well rotted compost or manure.  As with all members of the onion family, calçots enjoy rich soil.
• In late summer/early autumn plant fully developed white onions in trenches 8″ deep.  These can of course be home grown onions taken from storage and it matters not a jot if they’ve started to sprout.  Beware commercially grown onions could contain sprouting inhibitors so you’ll have the most luck with traditionally grown specimens.  In Catalunya you can buy specific calçot bulbs which are starting to sprout but any sweet white onion will work well.  Here we plant in September.
• The rows of calçots should be around 6″ apart.
• As your calçots grow you’ll need to ‘earth them up‘.  That just means bring soil up around the sprouting leaves to ‘blanch’ them.  This will ensure you get a large area of white leaves just as you would for leeks.
• Keep the calçot bed weed free and moist.  They will only be growing for a relatively short period so you don’t want to set them back at all.
• Harvest in late winter/early spring when the leaves are around 2 foot long.  If you’ve earthed them up sufficiently you should get a good 8″ of sweet white leaf matter on each calçot.  Here we harvest late Feb through to April.
• Harvest by pulling up the whole bulb and separating out the individual calçots.  You will have from five to fifteen calçots per bulb.  This is a very high yield crop!

They are best eaten when fresh so pull them up and put straight onto a charcoal barbecue or griddle pan to char.  The blackened outer skin is then pulled off revealing the sweet succulent white flesh that is our goal.  To remove the outer skin hold the base of the plant between your thumb and index finger, and with the other hand pull the green outer leaves sharply away from the root.  There is a knack to this but that’s okay – you’ll have lots to eat so lots of time to learn!

Calçots should be eaten dipped into a nutty, spicy, tart sauce such as romesco or salvitxada sauce. You’ll need lots of good crusty fresh bread to soak up the juices.  Trust me these beauties are very juicy – you would think there was oil involved but no they’re just very hot naked scallions and they are exceptional!

Please have a go at your growing your own calçots.  They’re very easy and take up space during a relatively quiet time in the garden.  Although a traditional Catalan product they can be grown much more widely.  If you live in a temperate climate its definitely worth trying them out.  And if you have any sprouting onions left in store at the end of the summer you should definitely have a go as this is a great way to save them!

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