Again and again it happens that onions start to germinate in the pantry. Now the questions arise, why could sprouts develop and can sprouted onions still be used?

Onions with small sprouts can be eaten normally

Why do onions sprout?

In most cases, the reason why onions sprout is incorrect storage. Certainly it was too warm, too bright and possibly too humid at the place of storage.
If onions are bought, they should be freed from the plastic bag or tight net immediately. They are best stored in an airy basket or an air-permeable wooden box. The storage room should be cool, dry and, above all, dark. A basement room or an unheated pantry is ideal.

Proper storage of home grown onions

As soon as the onions are taken out of the bed, certain storage rules must be observed:

  • leave the onions to dry in a dry and airy place
  • After about 10 days, remove the rest of the soil from the bulbs
  • shorten the long roots
  • Cut off the dry shoots to 5 cm

Now the onions can be stored in the cellar or pantry. Darkness, coolness and dryness are important.

Use sprouted onions in cooking

Once the onions have developed sprouts, this is no reason to throw them away. The sprouted onions do not contain any harmful substances, but their quality is now inferior and the onion's consistency becomes soft. If the germ is still small, simply cut it away and use the onion as usual.
Using onions with large sprouts will give the dish a bad flavor as the onions will become musty in this state. But even the vigorously sprouted onions do not have to be thrown away.

Using sprouted onions in the garden

For example, bulbs with green sprouts can be planted in the flower bed. The bulb then develops a decorative flower. The onion blossom is also an eye-catcher in the vegetable bed, which loosens up the strict order of the bed a little. The onion greens can be trimmed if necessary and used like chives.
It is best to let the onion wither and set seeds. As soon as these are ripe, the onion blossom is cut off and dried. The seeds that fall out are kept dry and dark. They are the basis for next year's onion sowing.

Category:

Vegetable garden