That sounds exciting, Ilex... keep us posted.
@FD, nice to hear your perspective on the grey. One of my friends tried these as well as several other types of shallots and I don't think they survived fall planting here. So they are not a great prospect for our climate.
I'll be very happy if some of my shallots produce seed this year. Even if they take two years to produce, it would be great to routinely plant and forget them until harvest time, without too much worry.