What's that slime in spring onions

[scrummyyummy]

Why do spring onions have that horrible slimey stuff inside the green part? I wash it for ages but it's still slimey! I presume it's not harmful if it doesn't wash off?

[society]

My grandmother said that 'slimy stuff' is good for asthma and bronchial congestion. I've seen her concocted syrupy looking stuff from that and onions. Taste horrible but did the trick.

[madmaggot]

Do you mean the membrane?

[snags]

It's just onion mucus... eat it!

[madmaggot]

or do you have a lot of slugs?

[McMouse]

Could be a clue in the Pope post in CB

[scrummyyummy]

The word 'mucus' puts me right off!! I don't know about slugs as I always buy my spring onions from the supermarket and there are times when the inside of the spring onion is fine but other times it's slimy and slippery. I don't think it's a slug thing as it's inside the length of the green spring onion leaves and I wouldn't think slugs would be small enough to go down it. Mucus, slugs.....YUK!

[madmaggot]

Haven't been on for a while hence the time gap in answering this. From what you say I think it is the less fresh onions that are more 'slimey'. Try to get them fresh (grow your own?) and use them as quickly as you can.

[Androcles]

As madmaggot says, there is a membrane between the layers of spring onions, just as there is between the layers of ordinalry onions. It should just rub off if you don't like it. This is natural and quite different from the slime you get when the onions are too old and start to rot, creating a real green slime, which is not nice at all!