Allium cepa
Origin: France
Improvement status: Cultivar
Seeds per packet: ~100
Germination tested 12/2024: 98%
Life cycle: Biennial
Zebrune is a classic "echelion"-type shallot (also called a "banana shallot") from France, where it's known as "Cuisse de Poulet du Poitou" ("Chicken-leg of Poitou"). Its bulbs are pink-skinned and torpedo-shaped, with a mild sweet flavor and long storage capability. These slender shallots average 3 to 4 inches in length, but can reach up to 6. Some sources say 'Zebrune' is the result of a long-ago cross between a shallot and an onion, accounting for its easily peeled skin.
Our seed comes from our good friend Jennifer Williams of Wild Dreams Farm in Vashon Island, Washington.
GROWING TIPS: Shallot seeds, like other alliums, should be started indoors many weeks before last frost for optimal results. Seeds can be surface sown, with a dusting of medium on top, or planted a quarter-inch deep. Once plants are big enough to transplant, and all danger of frost has passed, plant shallots spaced at least 3 or 4 inches apart, but 6 inches apart is better. Bulbs successfully stored through the winter can be replanted in the spring for seed production.
