Wild onion dinner season is here. Check out this list of dinners across Oklahoma

JaNae Williams, The Oklahoman
·3 min read
1
From February to April wild onions appear in moist areas, such as along creek beds, and are dug up, cleaned and cooked.
From February to April wild onions appear in moist areas, such as along creek beds, and are dug up, cleaned and cooked.

Every year as the first signs of warming and spring-like temperatures arrive, Indigenous communities begin foraging and harvesting a coveted native crop for annual meals — wild onions.

From February to April, wild onions appear in moist areas, such as along creek beds, and are dug up, cleaned and cooked.

Wild onion dinners are a tradition honoring the arrival of one of the first plants of spring and are usually sponsored by local churches, many of which are members of the Oklahoma Indian Missionary Conference.

Dinners generally cost between $10 and $15 and typically serve as fundraisers for the churches.

More: 6 OKC restaurants we wish would have made USA Today's Restaurants of the Year list

Some wild onion dinners, like the one hosted by the Salt Creek Methodist Church serve several hundreds of people each year. Some people make circuits, visiting multiple churches and attending multiple dinners throughout the season.

A traditional Muscogee (Creek) wild onion dinner is pictured, featuring blue corn bread, hominy, pork, beans, fry bread and skillet bread.
A traditional Muscogee (Creek) wild onion dinner is pictured, featuring blue corn bread, hominy, pork, beans, fry bread and skillet bread.

Here is a running list of known wild onion dinners planned throughout Oklahoma in March and April.

March wild onion dinners

March 2

  • Salt Creek UMC: 224 E Poplar St. in Holdenville, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

  • Norman First American UMC: 1950 Beaumont Drive in Norman, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $15

March 7

  • D.D. Etchieson Indian UMC: 416 W Seneca in Tahlequah, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., $12

March 9

  • Eufaula-Canadian Tribal Town: 800 Birkes Road in Eufaula, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $12

  • Pickett Chapel UMC: 17610 S Hickory in Sapulpa, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $15

  • Angie Smith Memorial UMC: 601 SW Grand Blvd. in Oklahoma City, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $12

  • Hominy Friends: 510 Friends Road in Hominy, 4 p.m., $15

March 16

  • Mary Lee Clark UMC: 1100 Howard Drive in Del City, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Tulsa Indian UMC: 1911 N College in Tulsa, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $15

  • Big Cussetah UMC: 20554 Prairie Bell Road in Morris, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $15

  • Thloptlocco UMC: 377187 E 1170 Road in Okemah, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., $12/$10 veterans

  • New Hope Indian UMC: 910 W Ninth St. in Dewey, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., $15

March 22

  • Fife Indian UMC: 1100 Eufaula St. in Muskogee, 5 to 7 p.m., $10

March 23

  • Chihowa Okla UMC: 3210 N First St. in Durant, 10 a.m., $12

  • Broken Arrow UMC: 20854 E 141 in Broken Arrow, 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., $15

  • Concharty: 19040 Garfield Road in Okmulgee, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

  • Claudia McHenry Benefit Dinner: 2900 N Osage Place in Okmulgee, 5 to 7 p.m., $15, all you can eat

April wild onion dinners

April 6

  • Springfield Indian UMC: 381194 N 380 Road in Okemah, 11 a.m., $15

April 13

  • Claremore Christ UMC: 317 S Davis Ave. in Claremore, 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., $15

Know of a dinner that isn't listed? Email jbwilliams@oklahoman.com with details.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: 2024 wild onion dinners: Where to find the meals across Oklahoma