What difficulty is specifically noted when preparing harvested Allium vineale bulbs resembling tiny shallots?

Answer

Significant cleaning is required to remove associated soil and grit, potentially taking hours in heavy soil.

The bulbous bases of *Allium vineale* can be used similarly to pearl onions, but harvesting them presents a substantial labor challenge related to cleaning. These small bulbs tend to harbor substantial amounts of soil and grit tightly packed around them. While foragers in areas with loose, sandy loam soil might find them easy to shake clean in the field, those in regions with heavier soil, like Georgia clay, report that removing the clinging mud from just six ounces of bulbs can consume two hours or more. This means the yield-to-effort ratio for bulb harvesting can be negatively impacted based heavily on local geology and soil moisture content.

What difficulty is specifically noted when preparing harvested Allium vineale bulbs resembling tiny shallots?

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Edible Onion Grass / Crow Garlic / Field Garlic (Allium vineale)

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