by Andrea LatimerPublisher

Patch

The

Onion

Andrea Latimercopyright 2012publisher

Dedicated to my parentsthanks for helping me grow

than and his family lived on a farm in the countryside. On the farm there were cows, chickens, sheep, and even little animals that liked to sneak in.

E

“I think you’re old enough to work in the garden with me!” his mother told him. She taught him everything he needed to know about gardening. She taught him about pulling out weeds, watering the soil, planting seeds and bulbs, and picking the vegetables when they were ready. She even warned Ethan that if he didn’t shut the gate, bunnies and other critters could get in and eat the plants! Ethan’s mother started the morning out by tending to the onion patch.

“Make sure the gate is closed, Ethan!” his mother reminded. He kicked the gate closed and without a moment to waste, he ran back to the onion patch.

Ethan thought that it would be fun to grow onions, but as the day went on, he got frustrated. He turned to his mother and cried, “This is a lot of work, Mommy! Where are the onions? I can’t see them!”

“Just be patient.”

I don’t want to be patient. I want to dig up the plants! Ethan thought. He turned around to get back to work when he saw a bunny hopping around the garden.

“Shoo!” Ethan shouted. “Mom, I thought the animals couldn’t get in through the gate!”

“Oh no!” said Ethan’s mom. “The gate was cracked open. We have to make sure the gate is closed shut!”

Ethan made sure to never make that mistake again.

Everyday Ethan and his mother would work in the garden. As time went on, a tiny bit of green was peeking through the soil, but Ethan wasn’t impressed.

He watered his precious onions on the hour, and made sure there was nothing blocking them from sunlight. Sometimes, Ethan would even talk to the onions, telling them to hurry up and grow! Most importantly, he checked the gate often make sure it was closed and kept his eye out for critters.

Days went by and still Ethan saw nothing but little green leaves. He tugged on his mother’s jeans and shouted, “Mom! You said that if we work hard we will have onions! These are only baby leaves!!”

His mother took a deep breath. “Ethan, you have to wait. We have to take care of the plants. But this doesn’t happen in a week.” She said patiently. Ethan didn’t understand. He just wanted to see the results.

Days turned to weeks. Summer was gone, and it began to get cold. The onion leaves were growing, but it wasn’t enough for Ethan. He wanted onions! It was a normal fall day, and as usual, Ethan and his mother went out to the garden. He watered the soil, picked out unwanted weeds and made sure the gate was closed to keep out the critters.

That night in bed, he tossed and turned. He couldn’t stop thinking about how his hard work wasn’t paying off. Maybe if I watch the leaves sleeping at night, I can protect them from animals who want to eat them! He quietly went to his parents’ room to get a better look, but he woke them up, so he went back to bed.

The next morning he and his mom woke up and put on their boots and gloves. They walked passed the cows and chickens as they approached the garden. Ethan went to get the gardening tools when something caught his eye.

A row of onions sprouted out of the soil, ready to be picked. He couldn’t believe his eyes!

He was amazed at how his hard work produced such amazing onions. He ripped them out of the ground with excitement. He leapt over the carrots and passed the chickens and showed them to his mother with a grin on his face.

“Mom! Look at what grew!!” He felt proud of his work. “Wow, Ethan! How cool! See what you did?” His mother picked him up and gave him a kiss. He knew that his work paid off. “Now what do we do with the onions?”

French Onion Soup RecipeServes 4-6Ingredients:6 large peeled and sliced onionsolive oil1/4 teaspoon of sugar2 cloves minced garlic8 cups of beef stock1/2 cup of dry vermouth1 bay leaf1/4 teaspoon of dry thymesliced french bread1 1/2 cups of grated Parmesan cheesesaltpepper

What can you do with onions? Onions are a nutritious vegetable grown in the ground, just like the ones on Ethan’s farm. There are so many different foods that contain onions in the ingredients! One popular dish is French Onion soup. It’s easy to make, delicious, and now you can make it with your mom or dad!

Sauté the onions in the olive oil on medium high heat until well browned for about 40 minutes. Add the sugar after 10 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the stock, vermouth, bay leaf, and thyme. Cover partially and simmer until the flavors are well blended for 30 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and add salt and pepper. Pour soup into oven-proof bowls and cover with toast. Top it with cheese. Broil for 10 minutes at 350 degrees and enjoy!