So you’ve decided to channel your inner farmer, roll up your sleeves, and head to a Dutch farm for a spring onion picking adventure. Good choice. Spring onions are the cheerful, slightly punchy cousins of the onion family—easy to grow, even easier to pick, and they don’t make you cry like their bigger, bulbous relatives. In the Netherlands, several “pluktuinen” (pick-your-own gardens) let you wander through neat rows of these green-and-white beauties. Just grab a pair of scissors or give them a gentle tug at the base—watch the soil fly! It’s oddly satisfying. Best done with friends and family: one person pulls, another shouts “That one’s perfect!”, and someone inevitably tries to swing one like a tiny whip. No judgment.

Once you’re home, rinse them well (sand hides in those layers) and trim off the root end and any wilted tips. The white part is mellow and crisp; the green tops are grassy and fresh. Use them raw for crunch, or cook them for sweet, savory depth. Here are two simple recipes to put your haul to work:

Recipe 1: Spring Onion & Ginger Stir-Fry

  • Ingredients: 1 bunch spring onions (sliced diagonally), 1 thumb-sized piece of ginger (julienned), 2 tbsp soy sauce, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tsp sugar, 200g firm tofu or chicken (optional), sesame seeds.
  • Method: Heat sesame oil in a wok or pan. Add ginger and the white parts of the spring onions; stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tofu or chicken, cook until golden. Toss in the green tops, soy sauce, and sugar. Stir for 30 seconds. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve over rice. Takes about 8 minutes—faster than your farm trip.

Recipe 2: Spring Onion & Cheese Scones

  • Ingredients: 2 cups self-raising flour, 50g cold butter (cubed), 1/2 cup finely chopped spring onions, 1/2 cup grated cheddar, 1 egg, 1/2 cup milk, pinch of salt.
  • Method: Rub butter into flour until crumbly. Stir in spring onions and cheese. Whisk egg and milk, then mix into dry ingredients to form a dough. Pat into a 2cm-thick round, cut into triangles. Bake at 200°C for 12–15 minutes until golden. Perfect for soup-dipping.

Cocktail Recipe: Spring Onion Bloody Mary

Because spring onions deserve a starring role at happy hour.

  • Ingredients: 1 spring onion (sliced thin), 1 celery stalk (chopped), 1/4 lemon (juiced), 100ml tomato juice, 50ml vodka, dash of Worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, ice.
  • Method: Muddle the spring onion and celery in a shaker. Add lemon juice, tomato juice, vodka, Worcestershire, salt, and pepper. Shake with ice. Strain into a glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a whole spring onion—because you’re a farm-to-glass legend.