Onions are indispensable in the kitchen, and because they keep so well, they're available all year round. If you grow your own onions and store them you can permanently cross them off your grocery list. Learn how to select onions to store and create the right conditions to store them so they retain their taste and nutritional value for up to ten months.
1. Store late-season onions. The onions you harvest in the spring and summer are not hardy enough to store. They should be eaten within a few weeks of harvesting. Plan to store onions that are harvested in the fall, since these varieties are able to last through the winter.
If you grow your own onions, plan to store onions that you plant during the spring.
Onions are ready to harvest for storage in the late summer or early fall, when the top of the plant begins to fall over and dry up.
2. Store pungent onions. Pungent onions, as opposed to mild onions, have sulfurous compounds that cause you to tear up when you chop them and also help preserve the onions through the winter. Mild onions don't have this self-preservation system, so they should be eaten a few weeks after they're harvested. The following varieties of globe onions do well in long-term storage:
Yellow onions such as ebenezer, yellow globe, downing yellow globe, and yellow globe danvers.
White onions such as southport white globes. These should only be stored if their necks are small.
Red onions including wethersfield and southport red globe.
3. Dry the onion skins. After the onions are harvested, spread them out in a ventilated area so that the skins can harden. Do not remove the leaves. Allow the onions to cure for two to four weeks.
Dry the onions location away from sunlight and humidity. Sunlight can taint the taste of the onions and make them bitter. Lay a tarp in your garage or a shed. The environment should be dry, warm and breezy.
The onions are finished curing when their stems are no longer green. The onions' skin should be withered around the stem and wrapped tightly around the onions.
4. Trim the onions. Once the stems are completely dry, use sharp scissors or a knife to trim the roots from the onions.
Discard onions that still have green stems at this point, as well as those that are bruised or have broken paper.
Cut the leaves at least an inch above the bulb, or leave them intact and braid the leaves together.
5. Choose a cool, dark place to store your onions. The space should have a temperature maintained between 40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4 - 10 degrees Celsius. Many people opt to store their onions in a root cellar or basement. If the space is too warm, your onions will begin to sprout. If the location you chose is too cold, the onions will start to rot.
Keep the storage space dry. Onions easily absorb moisture, and the wetness in the air will rot your produce. The humidity level should be kept at 65 - 70 percent.
6. Make sure the space is well ventilated. Keeping air flowing around the onions will help prevent molding and rotting.
For good ventilation, hang the onions in mesh baskets, netted bags or pantyhose.
If you decide to use pantyhose as a storage option, tie a knot between each bulb. Use the bulbs from the bottom, cutting the onion out below the knot so the onion above it stays secure. You can also use string or twist ties in between the onions to keep them separate.
1. Store late-season onions. The onions you harvest in the spring and summer are not hardy enough to store. They should be eaten within a few weeks of harvesting. Plan to store onions that are harvested in the fall, since these varieties are able to last through the winter.
If you grow your own onions, plan to store onions that you plant during the spring.
Onions are ready to harvest for storage in the late summer or early fall, when the top of the plant begins to fall over and dry up.
2. Store pungent onions. Pungent onions, as opposed to mild onions, have sulfurous compounds that cause you to tear up when you chop them and also help preserve the onions through the winter. Mild onions don't have this self-preservation system, so they should be eaten a few weeks after they're harvested. The following varieties of globe onions do well in long-term storage:
Yellow onions such as ebenezer, yellow globe, downing yellow globe, and yellow globe danvers.
White onions such as southport white globes. These should only be stored if their necks are small.
Red onions including wethersfield and southport red globe.
3. Dry the onion skins. After the onions are harvested, spread them out in a ventilated area so that the skins can harden. Do not remove the leaves. Allow the onions to cure for two to four weeks.
Dry the onions location away from sunlight and humidity. Sunlight can taint the taste of the onions and make them bitter. Lay a tarp in your garage or a shed. The environment should be dry, warm and breezy.
The onions are finished curing when their stems are no longer green. The onions' skin should be withered around the stem and wrapped tightly around the onions.
4. Trim the onions. Once the stems are completely dry, use sharp scissors or a knife to trim the roots from the onions.
Discard onions that still have green stems at this point, as well as those that are bruised or have broken paper.
Cut the leaves at least an inch above the bulb, or leave them intact and braid the leaves together.
5. Choose a cool, dark place to store your onions. The space should have a temperature maintained between 40 - 50 degrees Fahrenheit, or 4 - 10 degrees Celsius. Many people opt to store their onions in a root cellar or basement. If the space is too warm, your onions will begin to sprout. If the location you chose is too cold, the onions will start to rot.
Keep the storage space dry. Onions easily absorb moisture, and the wetness in the air will rot your produce. The humidity level should be kept at 65 - 70 percent.
6. Make sure the space is well ventilated. Keeping air flowing around the onions will help prevent molding and rotting.
For good ventilation, hang the onions in mesh baskets, netted bags or pantyhose.
If you decide to use pantyhose as a storage option, tie a knot between each bulb. Use the bulbs from the bottom, cutting the onion out below the knot so the onion above it stays secure. You can also use string or twist ties in between the onions to keep them separate.
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