When and How to Harvest Shallots

Shallots aren’t always easy to find in US grocery stores.

At least, not for me up here in Alaska, where it’s also difficult to find a strawberry for sale in the wintertime.

If you opt to grow your own, there’s nothing as sweet as looking out at your own garden and seeing the long green leaves rising from the soil.

Beneath them lies a growing bulb that can fill your cooking with flavor and life.

If you can figure out how and when to harvest it, that is.

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When I first started growing these tasty bulbs, the hardest part of growing them was figuring out when they were ready to harvest. I pulled a bulb early once, when the tops had started turning yellow, but sadly it hadn’t multiplied into several shallots yet.

What in the world? What did I do wrong?

You’re about to find out.

This fragrant bulb, of which there are two main types – the yellow-skinned Allium cepa var. aggregatum, and copper-sheathed A. oschaninii – stars in dishes around the world.

While you might instantly associate shallots with French cuisine, considering how shallots famously feature in tasty tarte tatins and beurre blanc sauce, those in many countries around the world enjoy the bulb as a staple food item.

For example, the Vietnamese dish hanh phi – or fried shallots – adds a delicious crunch to pho. Or there’s the scrumptious south Indian shallot curry, ulli theeyal.

My mouth waters just thinking of the myriad ways to enjoy shallots. And if you pull them at the right time, you’ll get to enjoy a bounty of bulbs that will store in your pantry for up to six months.

In this guide, you’ll learn how and when to harvest the bulbs,