Does anybody know where to get a start for these, and how far north will they survive the winters? (I'm in Minnesota now, zone 4)
I just (in the past year or two) figured out that the green multiplying onions we used to grow in SE Texas were really shallots, and probably "Louisiana Evergreen" variety because they never bloom and never actually bulb. They just keep dividing forever; you pull up a little clump for your salad and put one back in the hole. If the clump gets too big, you divide it and give a start to your friends. I've grown scallions, and they don't taste the same. And regular shallots don't multiply without bounds.
I drove by my Grandma's old house a couple of years ago when I was in Houston to see if there were still some onions growing there. The house was still there, but none of her plants :-( (Not that I expected anything, but I had to check)
I might try planting shallot seeds this year and see what happens. They /could/ be a decent substitute...
Bob