×
  • Home
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use
  • Manage Account
  • Authors
  • Keyword Index
  • Join

Food Gardening Network

Growing Good Food at Home

Join
Mequoda Publishing Network
  • Daily
    • Composting
    • Container Gardening
    • Easy Healthy Recipes
    • Food Preservation
    • Garden Design
    • Garden Tools
    • Growing Fruits & Berries
    • Indoor Gardening
    • Pests & Diseases
    • Seeds & Seedlings
    • Soil & Fertilizer
    • Spice & Herb Gardening
    • Vegetable Gardening
    • Watering & Irrigation
  • Freebies
  • Videos
  • Magazines
    • Food Gardening Magazine
    • RecipeLion Magazine
  • Guides
  • Cookbooks
    • Beverages
    • Bakery
    • Breakfast
    • Appetizers
    • Salads & Dressings
    • Soups
    • Entrées
    • Side Dishes & Sauces
    • Desserts
  • Sign In
  • Search

Are You Storing Onions the Wrong Way? Learn How to Store Every Variety

Are You Storing Onions the Wrong Way? Learn How to Store Every Variety

From mild to pungent, find out the best ways for storing onions so you can enjoy them all winter long.

By Amanda MacArthur | November 24, 2022

best tips for storing onions

All hail the mighty (and versatile as heck) onion! From subtle flavors to sharp zings, onions can add so many dimensions to your recipes. Being able to use your own homegrown onions all winter long is the ultimate Little House on the Prairie dream. It’s also super cost-effective and adds peace of mind knowing that you’ve grown and stored your onions without chemicals or other variables coming into the mix. Storing onions is an excellent way to enjoy your vegetable garden in the cold winter months. I’ve put together some basic information and guidelines for how to store or preserve your onions, no matter what type.

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

 

Choosing the right onions to store

In general, onions fall into two categories: mild or pungent. The milder varieties tend to have bigger bulbs and taste sweeter. These are great to eat right away or preserve through canning or freezing. Mild onions don’t make good storing onions because they have high sugar and water content which makes them prone to rot or mold. These types of onions are great for preserving using other methods. (More on that later!)

Pungent onions, on the other hand, tend to have smaller bulbs and are more likely to get your tears flowing and have a powerful bite to their taste. These are great onions for cooking since they pack a lot of flavor. Pungent onions are ideal for storing since they don’t have a high water or sugar content. Some good varieties for storing onions include: Copra, Cortland, Ebenezer, Red Zeppelin, Red Bull, Stuttgarter, Sweet Sandwich, Talon, and Yellow Globe.

Curing onions

Curing onions is just a fancy way of saying drying them out. Before storing onions from your garden, you need to cure them by drying them out for three weeks or so. A great way to do this is to spread them out on a breathable surface, like an old window screen, lattice, or chicken wire tilted to make a horizontal surface. The key is for air to flow on both tops and bottoms of your onions. Once the onion necks are dried and the outer skins are tight, your onions have cured. At this point in the process, you may notice some of your onions are starting to bloom (bolt). Those should be used first or preserved quickly since they will rot more quickly.

Storing Onions

After your onions have cured, chop off the necks so only an inch or so is left. Cut any remaining roots from the bulb and brush off any leftover soil. (Note: there is another cool way to leave the necks and braid them together to form a thick vine for hanging, but I’m just not that coordinated!)

Hanging onions in a mesh bag is the ideal way to store them, to keep all surfaces exposed to air and avoid rot and mold. Mesh laundry bags work great, but I’ve also seen folks use pantyhose for this process. If you don’t have the real estate or ability to hang your onions, you can use a storage bin. The key is ventilation. Make sure your bin is porous in some way (a wire bin or a crate with breathable holes). Another tip is to add some paper towels to your bin to help absorb any moisture. Unlike storing potatoes, stored onions prefer a dry environment. In terms of storage location, the goal is to find a spot in your house that is cool, dark, and dry. Closets and basements are great for deep storage, but even a dark cabinet will work well.

Freeze, dry, or can: preserving methods

For storing onions like sweet onions or green onions, using a preserving method is your best bet. These methods will also work on any onions that may have started to sprout at the top since those won’t last very long in cabinet/closet storage. Here are three simple preserving methods for storing onions (though there are many variations of each).

Dry Method: If you happen to have a food dehydrator, you can slice onions and dehydrate them. An oven will work too at a low temp for a long time. From there, pulverize them with a food processor for your very own onion powder. Throw some salt in there to make it into onion salt.

Freeze Method: This is the method I use all the time. Simply chop your onions and place them in a freezer-safe container/bag. You can blanch your onions first in boiling water, but if you’re going to use them within a few months, blanching isn’t necessary.

Can Method: Canned properly, and these onions can last 3-5 years! Peel onions (and rough chop any really big ones that won’t fit into your canning jars). Boil in water for 5 minutes or until the skins are translucent. Reserve the cooking liquid, since you’ll use that in the cans. Place onions in jars with salt and cooking liquid and follow your preferred canning method.

Do you have a great method for storing onions? How about preserving them? Share your tips in the comments!

Discover 7 top tips for growing, harvesting, and enjoying tomatoes from your home garden—when you access the FREE guide The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes, right now!

 

« 5 Ways to Preserve Jalapeños and Other Spicy Peppers
How to Keep Garden Tools from Rusting »

Related Posts

  • Can You Freeze Spinach and For How Long?
  • How to Rotate Vegetable Cellar Stock So Nothing Goes to Waste
  • How to Store Leafy Greens and Other Produce Without Plastic

Tags

curing onions, onions, storing onions, vegetable garden

Comments
  • Donna G. August 21, 2022

    Thanks for the information, greatly helpful to know.

    Reply
  • Linda E. October 19, 2021

    Thanks for the onion tips. Mine at present are in metal bins and It was great to hear about using paper towel as I fit it just to keep the mess off the counter. So what I’m hearing is separate the types of onions when you store them. Do not mix…also true having them in my counter bins?

    Reply

Click here to cancel reply.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Give a Gift

FREEBIE!

With your FREEBIE, you’ll also receive regular email messages from the Food Gardening Network. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Your email address is private. We promise never to sell, rent or disclose your email address to third parties.

Freebies

  • How to Grow a Vegetable Garden
  • 15 Easiest Fruits to Grow at Home
  • Growing Vegetables Indoors for Beginners
  • How to Master Spice and Herb Gardening at Home
  • The Best Way to Grow Tomatoes
  • Recipes from Your Garden
  • How to Start a Freedom Garden
  • Gardening in Every Season
  • Planning Your Perfect Food Garden
  • Plants for Bug Control Chart

Browse Topics

  • Composting
  • Container Gardening
  • Easy Healthy Recipes
  • Food Preservation
  • Garden Design
  • Garden Tools
  • Growing Fruits & Berries
  • Indoor Gardening
  • Pests & Diseases
  • Seeds & Seedlings
  • Soil & Fertilizer
  • Spice & Herb Gardening
  • Vegetable Gardening
  • Watering & Irrigation

We will be attending the following shows in 2023:

  • MANTS in Baltimore, MD
  • Connecticut Flower Show
  • Vermont Flower Show
  • Philadelphia Flower Show
Click here to schedule a time to visit with us at the show!

Enter Your Log In Credentials

This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

  • Lost your password? Create New Password
  • No account? Sign up

Need Assistance?

Call Food Gardening Network Customer Service at
(800) 777-2658

Food Gardening Network is an active member of the following industry associations:

  • American Horticultural Society
  • GardenComm Logo
  • MCMA logo
  • Renewd logo
  • Manage Account
  • Join
  • About Food Gardening Network
  • Contact Us
  • Affiliate Program
  • Sponsor Program
  • Give a Gift
  • Privacy Policy & Terms of Use

Food Gardening Network
99 Derby Street, Suite 200
Hingham, MA 02043
support@foodgardening.mequoda.com

FREE E-Newsletter for You!

Discover how to grow, harvest, and eat good food from your own garden—with our FREE e-newsletter, delivered directly to your email inbox.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest

Powered by
Mequoda Publishing Network
copyright © 2023 Mequoda Systems, LLC

Food Gardening Network® and Food Gardening Magazine® are registered trademarks of Mequoda Systems, LLC.

Go to mobile version