Sooner or later, every gardener thinks about how to save onions for the winter. At first glance, it seems simple: collected, dried, put in a box and put it in a dark cool place - that’s all the storage. In fact, this is not so. Sometimes even experienced gardeners are not able to keep the onions safe and sound until spring. This business also has its own nuances. So let's get together and learn how to save onions for the winter, so that in the cold season it remains as fresh and useful as if it had just been picked from the garden. A few helpful tips, described below, are sure to help you.
How to keep onions until spring?
First of all, it must be properly assembled and prepared. Typically, harvesting occurs on the 90-120th day after planting. Most often this happens in August. You need to collect it in dry weather. Each onion is dug up with a spatula so as not to damage its bottom, and then carefully folded to the side. Important! In no case do not hit with the pulled out bow on the ground - so you damage it and it will not be able to be stored for a long time. If rains are not expected in the coming days, then it is best to leave the harvest in the open air for at least 7-10 days.
Just spread the bulbs so that they do not touch each other. Turn them over periodically. There are other drying methods. For example, you can tie the bow in small bunches and hang in a place where there is a draft. For those who live in an apartment, there is also an option. Onions can be dried in the oven. To do this, periodically heat it to a minimum temperature.
So, the onions are dried. Now move on to the next step. We cut off the dried feathers so that the neck of the bulb remains 5-6 cm long. We do not touch the roots, if possible, so as not to damage the bottom. The upper husk, which is cracked, can also be removed. After that, let the bulbs dry a little more. Then we select the strongest, healthy, undamaged fruits and put them in a specially prepared container (wicker basket, wooden box, fabric bag or nylon stockings). There is another interesting way to save onions for the winter. Weave braids out of it. Only for this, dried feathers do not need to be cut, as they will be woven into twine. Onion braids will perfectly decorate the interior of your kitchen, and their aroma will disinfect the air well. This method, as a rule, is the most effective. Onions do not require special storage conditions - room temperature from 18 to 25 degrees is suitable. But it is not recommended to lower it into the cellar, where it can become damp and moldy. Well, now you know how to save onions.
Helpful hints:
- Sort the onions from time to time. This is done in order to identify spoiled fruits in time and select them.
- If suddenly for some reason the onion is damp, dry it again and transfer to another container.
- For storage, use only a container of materials that allow good air permeability. Polyethylene is by no means suitable for these purposes!
- The height of the boxes in which the crop will be stored should not exceed 30 cm.
We hope that thanks to this article you will now have no difficulties with how to save onions for the winter.