I’ve received a bunch of questions recently from people wanting to know when they should harvest their onions, so I thought I would go ahead and repost this handy dandy tutorial on how to harvest and store onions for those of you who have never done it before, or just need a quick refresher.
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This year I grew 3 different types of onions. Walla Walla Sweets, Yellow Onions, and Red Onions.
The Walla Wallas are for eating fresh, the yellows for winter storage, and the red onions for homemade salsa, sandwiches and for roasting on the grill.
Because I planted so many onions, at different times, not all of the onions are ready to harvest right now. But a few of them are.
Here are a few pictures of the drying process of my first batch of onions.
Onions are ready to be harvested when the necks are nice and dry. At this point you’ll want to pull up the onions, and lay them flat on the soil for a day or two so they have a chance to dry out in the sun a bit.
Then, you’ll want to move your onions to a warm, ventilated area {out of the sun} for a few weeks so they can finish curing.
You’ll know the onions are done drying when they look like the regular onions you see in the grocery store. The outer skins will be paper like and brittle, the roots will be dry, and the tops will be completely dried out.
If you would like to show off your onions, then you’ll definitely want to try braiding them. Hanging the onions in the kitchen is cool. The Pilgrims did it, and so can you.
Braiding onions is pretty basic, almost like french braiding hair, but instead of pulling hair {onions} from beneath, you are adding them on top and working them into the onions from there.
The trick to braiding the onions is to make sure the onion stalks are not completely dried out. If they are to dry, the papery stalks will crumble in your hands. You need them to be moist enough so they will be flexible to braid with out falling apart.
When I braided the bunch of onions you see above, they had been drying for about 7 days on the back porch, which I felt was the perfect amount of time. As the onions continue to dry, they will hold together just fine because I braided them pretty tight.
As far as long term storage goes, brush off any excess dirt, and place onions in mesh bags, or storage crates in a cool, dark place. The ideal temp for storing onions is around 40 degrees.
Now, if I could just get the smell of onions off my hands…
Kia @ A View From Here says
My granddad does a similar thing but instead of braiding them (the braid gets very thick mighty quick) he hangs a cord (well in his case and ancient electric cable) from an over head beam, ties a bigish knot in the end of the cable and then uses the necks of each onion to tie a half knot around the cable.
Not quite sure if I’m explaining very well – just wrap the neck around the cable once and loop the end of the neck back through itself.
He can easily knot 70 odd onions onto one cable. He then hangs them in the shed where they keep for ages because the air can circulate around them.
Elizabeth says
We only have the yellow as they store so well. I actually just finished up the very last 2 a few weeks ago. I do chop lots and freeze into 1 cup measures and throw those into a larger freezer bag. Good for anytime need to add onion. We like onion, so if says 1/2 we usually use 1 C, 1 T and we’d probably use 1/4 C.
For eating onions on a veggie burger or grilled cheese I buy a sweet onion at the store and always have one on hand, in fridge to keep it longer. Same with red, must have red form my tossed salads.
I think you explained well about the curing. I think when people have spoilage is because they did not allow to cure, are in a damp environment or left too much dirt on the onion.
Elizabeth says
Oh, I reread my comment…when I said I finished up the last few, that was LAST YEAR’s crop….have not pulled this year yet except for thinning.
Mrs. Hillbilly says
Granny Hillbilly used to store them in old panty hose. She would put one in the toe then tie a knot then add the next tie a knot so that the onions would not touch . Then when she wanted one she would just cut one off. She stored in a dark dry place.
LaToya says
Why do they call them red onions when they are purple? I call them purple onions. Because they ARE purple, dammit!
Elizabeth F says
Not sure! We call it red cabbage too, though it is most definitely purple.
Aubre says
Down here in Louisiana, our hands usually REEK after eating crawfish at a boil. For a boil, we use garlic, onions, spices, and more mixed with the seafood, so needless to say the resulting taste is delicious but the leftover smell is not! We use liquid clothing fabric softener to wash our hands, and the smell disappears immediately. The first time I heard this, it sounded too simple to be true, but let me tell you it definitely works! If it works on crawfish-hands, I would imagine it would have to work on onion-hands.
Mavis says
Seriously? It does sound too simple, but I’m totally going to try it.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Quick tip to get smell off your hands. Rub stainless steel between them. Like the kitchen sing faucet or a big spoon. I don’t know why it works because I am not even a skinny bit science-y. But it works. And it’s free (my favorite price)!
KK
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
sink…i meant sink…not sing….though if you want to sing at the same time go for it.
kk
Karen at A Glimpse Into My Reveries says
KK: you are so right! Stainless steel works great! I use onions &/or garlic everyday and I just rub my soapy hands over the surfaces of my ss sink and Wahlah! Clean sink and no odors on either!. You can buy stainless steel ovals that are marketed for this purpose in the kitchen ware shops, usually with other small items by the registers.
Gosia says
If you want to get rid of the smell of onions from your hands, use lemon juice (fresh or bottled). Just pour a teaspoon of lemon juice into cupped hand and rub both hands together. Rinse with running water. It should take care of the smell. Good luck.
Becky says
What!? No video for the braiding!? 🙂 I would love to see one sometime if you have a chance:)
KC says
And an old, old technique (from the Wartime Kitchen and Garden special about Britain in WWII) which requires somewhat less in the way of long and flexible stems but still results in a lovely hanging of onions:
KC says
(sorry – I meant to give the link to the direct part of the video about onion tying – it’s about 9:15 into the video)
Karen at A Glimpse Into My Reveries says
I’m am so glad you posted this video, very interesting! I’ve been fascinated by Britain’s fortitude, strength and resolve during WWII since stumbling across the Land Girls series!