Shallots produce a cluster of bulbs from a single planted bulb.
Otherwise, they are similar to the common onion. Commercially they are grown mainly for marketing as green onions, mainly in the South. As daughter bulbs and plants develop, soil is pushed around them to blanch the lower portion. Daughter plants are pulled at suitable size, the outer skin removed from the bulb and base of leaves, and the small bulb and green leaves are marketed as green onions. Shallots are also grown for the dry bulbs, which are milder flavored than most onions.