Allium rosenbachianum, a new edimental from Tajikstan and Uzbekistan

ADDED: Mark McDonough has commented on the Alliorum  Facebook forum (https://www.facebook.com/groups/575374019245196) that the plant I have isn’t rosenbachianum, but probably Allium stipitatum “Album”, one of the Alliums eaten as Persian shallot (see also  http://www.edimentals.com/blog/?page_id=893)

Thanks to Lieven David for attracting my attention to the following interesting paper on “Wild Allium species (Alliaceae) used in folk medicine of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan”
https://ethnobiomed.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4269-2-18
I was particularly interested to read of the use of the young leaves of Allium rosenbachianum, a species commonly sold as an ornamental.  I’ve been growing a white flowered form for a few years, but hadn’t come across its traditional use before!

The young fresh or dried leaves are used of A. rosenbachianum and closely related A. rosenorum for the national soup dishes ‘atolla’ and ‘oshi sioalaf’.

My very first garden in Edinburgh!

My very first garden in Balerno, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, probably 1978-1979! I was renting a flat and living in with the landlady. She didn’t use the garden, so I asked whether I could :) Organic of course! I had become a member of HDRA, the foremost organic gardening organisation in the UK and their leader/president Lawrence Hills was a great inspiration. I remember, on his encouragement, asking the council if I could gather leaves in the park to make compost!

Balerno_garden

Edinburgh guided edimentals walk

It’s confirmed that I’ll be doing a guided edimentals (=edible ornamentals) walk at the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh’s Harvest Festival at 2 pm on Saturday 17th September (free)!! Hopefully, I’ll have a few books for sale too!
I actually first grew vegetables when I was a student in Edinburgh in the late 70s when I was a student, inspired by local bicycle campaigner Dave du Feu (Spokes) who I met (both with bikes) on a train on the way up to Edinburgh…I remember him telling me about the Henry Doubleday Research Association (HDRA), the organic gardening association and how to grow vegetables intensively on raised beds by planting diagonally… Just look what he started!

See the Facebook event here:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1053863641370121/

http://www.rbge.org.uk/whats-on/event-details/4356