The best way to preserve onions from the garden.
It’s officially harvest time at my house. I love this time of year. When the fields turn golden, the garden is producing, and I can finally enjoy the fruits of our labor. I have been curing my onions the past couple of weeks and am excited to have them saved in my home to enjoy throughout the winter months. Onions are one of the easiest garden crops to grow. They are very low maintenance and easy to harvest and store. I’m excited to show you today how to store onions from the garden (which is so easy PS!).
How To Harvest Onions
You will know it is time to harvest your onions when you notices these two things happening:
- The green stems will begin falling over.
- The onions will be large and sticking out of the ground.
It is actually really easy to harvest your onions! All you need to do is pull the onions out by grabbing down them by the bulb and yanking them out of the ground.
Your onions should come out of the ground fairly quick and easy! Fill that wheelbarrow up with onions and you’re ready to start preserving them. We will talk about that next!
How To Preserve Onions From The Garden
There are a few different ways to preserve your garden onions. This article is going to tell you all about freezing and curing onions.
How to Freeze Onions
I love to freeze onions! It makes meal prep so quick and easy to just grab the already chopped onions out off the freezer.
First, you need to chop the onions into tiny pieces. (secretly, I totally wear swimming goggles when I do this to help prevent crying….it works!)
Next, lay the chopped onions onto a cookie sheet. You want them in a single layer and not touching each other as much as possible (it’s impossible to make them perfect, so just do the best you can!).
Now, stick the cookie sheets into your freezer. We are doing what’s called a “flash freeze.”
Let the onions freeze on the cookie sheet for 2-3 hours or until frozen through.
Once the onions are frozen, pull them out of the freezer and scoop them into ziplock freezer bags.
Label your freezer bag with the contents and year and then stick the bags into your freezer. These will stay good for up to one year. I use these chopped onions straight from the freezer in all of my cooking!
How to Cure Onions
Sometimes you just want a fresh onion, and that is where curing comes in! It’s the best way to store whole onions for long term storage.
After harvesting your onions place them in a dry and shaded spot. You don’t want them to get wet or a lot of direct sunlight. In a garage or under a porch is perfect for this! Don’t worry about windy conditions. This will actually help the onions to cure quicker.
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Let your onions sit and cure for about 3-4 weeks. You will know they are done when their stems are completely dry and brown.
Check your onions to make sure they all cured correctly. If you find a few with bruised spots or didn’t completely cure just toss them out. I don’t worry about those to much.
Now, just cut the stem off using scissors and place them in a basket or mesh bag. Make sure they have air circulation and are only stacked three deep.
Keep your cured onions in a dark, dry, cool place for 6-12 months. A basement storage room works great for this!
In Conclusion
Onions are one of the easiest garden produce to preserve. I love going into my storage room in the middle of January and grabbing a garden onion! Truly the best feeling!
Let me know if you have any other questions! I’m always happy to help!
Related Articles:
9 Vegetables to Grow in Your Beginner Garden
19 Foods You Didn’t Know You Could Freeze
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