Anyone who brought in a sizeable onion harvest in autumn should know exactly how to store onions correctly. In optimal conditions, onions can stay in perfect condition for up to six months (and longer).
Onions can be stored for up to six months
Create the right storage conditions
First of all, the onions must be sufficiently dried after harvesting. Only dry specimens keep at the place of storage. If there is still residual moisture in the shells or the rest of the shoot, there is a risk of rotting. Mold finds a good breeding ground here.
When the harvest has dried sufficiently, it can be stored in a dry, dark and cool room.
It is important to ensure that there is good ventilation and that no moisture can penetrate. Moisture inevitably leads to rot.
Equally important is the darkness. It prevents the onions from developing fast-growing shoots. The onion then gives its strength to this budding, it quickly loses substance. In the end, all that remains is a shriveled, inedible shell.
The right storage location
Onions are best stored in a basement room. It is cool and dry here, daylight cannot penetrate. If you don't have a basement, you can also store the onions in a storage room.
However, the refrigerator is not the right place. It's cool here, but the onions lose their flavor. However, it is possible to store an onion that has already been cut for a short time.
bearing error
Onions should never be stored in plastic bags. Here they cannot “breathe”, begin to sweat and rot.
Aluminum foil is also unsuitable. If cut onions are stored wrapped in aluminum foil, a chemical reaction occurs and the onion takes on a metallic taste.
Always store your bulbs in an airy basket or net. Leftover onions can be stored in a food-safe container in the refrigerator for a short time.
Storing onions in bullet points
Proper storage of the onions will be rewarded with a long storage time. The supply can last until the next harvest.
- Be sure to store the onions in the dark. Even the slightest incidence of light stimulates germination.
- Dry storage is important. Moisture leads to mold and rot.
- Avoid heat. This also promotes expulsion and mold growth.
- Good storage containers are baskets or nets.
- Storage on a grid is not recommended. The grate's struts can press into the bulb, injuring it and making it vulnerable to decay.
- The dry skins of the onion are not removed before storage. They protect against drying out and the penetration of mold spores.
- Onions and garlic can be stored together without any problems.
preserve onions
Anyone who does not have sufficient storage facilities can pickle their onions, especially silver onions, and preserve them in this way.
Pickled silver onions
The onions are peeled and covered with brine (60 g salt to 1 l water). After the onions have steeped for a day, they are rinsed and layered in a sterilized screw-top jar. Bay leaves, mustard seeds or herbs can be added for a better taste. Then boil up about a liter of white wine vinegar and pour it hot into the glass. If the jar is closed quickly, the cooling vinegar can create a vacuum, which seals the jar securely. Preserved in this way, the onions can be stored for over a year.
Freeze onions
Another alternative to storing onions is to freeze them. However, this method is not necessarily suitable for large quantities of onions, since the preparation requires a little work. The onions need to be peeled and then cut into rings or cubes. Packed in suitable containers, the deep-frozen onions will keep for about a year.
Frozen onions are ideal for cooking because they can be added to dishes in no time at all.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
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