Rules for storing onions in the winter at home

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Many people grow on their own or simply stock up on onions for the winter, but not everyone knows how to store onions in the winter at home. It all depends on what kind of onion you need to save for the winter: common onion, set, leek or green onion.

How to store onions in the winter at home

If certain conditions are met, the harvest can be preserved until the spring of next year and is great to eat during the cold months. It is worthwhile to immediately stipulate that there are different varieties that have their own individual indicators of shelf life (shelf life), it is worthwhile to find out about this when purchasing or growing a particular variety.

Basic rules for storing onions

In order to prepare for storing onions during the winter period, you need to know some rules. Below are the most basic ones.

1. In order to save the onion for another time, it is worth choosing bulbs that are not susceptible to infections, are not mechanically damaged, have strong scales and thin necks. The crop must be ripe (unripe will rot, and overripe can take root again).
2. In autumn, during harvesting, the bulbs must be carefully dug up, then sprinkled on the ground, and not pulled out of the soil. This will reduce the amount of mechanical damage and extend the shelf life of the onion.
3. Drying is an important point. Dry the onion before storing it. To do this, it is recommended to spread it out in the sun (on the porch or on the balcony) in the morning and leave it there until the evening. An alternative option is to spread the onions at the radiator grill or at the battery, if possible. This can save time.
4. Use a knife or a special garden shears to cut off the green tails (necks), leaving about 4-5 cm. It is better not to apply such measures to the roots.
5. After all these procedures, you can remove the top layer of dry scales. This must be done carefully and carefully, without damaging the bulb, removing only the already dried scales.
6. Leave the onion to dry for another week or two. It must be sorted and mixed once every few days.

Further, the onions can already be folded into the prepared container. A few more important aspects in the process itself:

1. The container (container) in which the onion is stored must be breathable, that is, air processes must freely occur in it. Ventilation is needed to avoid excessive moisture.
2. Excessive moisture not only in the container, but also in the room in which the onions are stored, has negative Consequences, one of the biggest among them is the decay of the bulbs.

Often when stored at home, the onion will sprout.This problem can be solved by processing with lime paste. Everything is extremely simple: you need to lubricate the lobes of the roots when onion roots appear.

Another way to get rid of germination is root burning. But the disadvantage of both methods is that the field of such processing is impossible to plant bulbs as planting material for the next season. For sowing, these methods of preparing fruits will not work.

On varieties and the timing of their conservation in the winter

At what temperature should onions be stored for the winter? Depending on the variety, the storage temperature of the onion and its shelf life change. That is, the time that the onion can be saved is determined not only by the conditions, preparation and harvesting, but also by the variety of the selected onion. It can turn out to be very unfortunate if a person creates all the necessary conditions, carries out the necessary procedures, follows the storage rules, and the onion will go bad anyway. In order to avoid such situations, it is necessary to familiarize yourself with the varieties of onions and the parameters of their keeping quality.

Temperature is inversely proportional to the pungency of the variety. Thus, for spicy varieties, a low (about -3 ° C) temperature is required, and for sweet (mild), on the contrary, a high temperature (up to 15-18 ° C).

Here are some examples. Varieties suitable for long-term storage (sharp, with dense scales) include:

• Spassky Red;
• Bessonovsky;
• Strigunovsky;
• Arzamassky;
• Rostov onion.

The varieties that do not have such a high shelf life (semi-sweet) include:

• Samarkand;
• Markovsky;
• Belozersky;
• Mechkovsky;
• Danilovsky.

The process of preparing onions for storage

Preparing onions for long-term storage is an important process. You need to know how and where to store onions in winter: in the basement, on the balcony or just in the apartment, how to prepare the boxes. To prepare for storage, you need to carry out all the procedures described at the very beginning. So, drying:

1. Spread the onions out on a dry, flat surface, such as a blanket or board, in the yard.
2. If the weather does not permit or we are talking about drying in the apartment, then you can use another method: preheat the oven so that it is warm inside (it is important - not hot), turn it off, and then put the bulbs there.
3. Drying is unacceptable, a sign of which are scales with silty cracks.
4. After drying, it is necessary to clean the remaining soil and excess dry skins, as well as cut off the green shoots (onion necks), leaving only a few centimeters (3-5 cm).
5. Next is sorting. It is necessary to leave dry, rotten, without mechanical damage, soft fruits. The rest should be disposed of.

If the crop was grown in a humid climate, subject to constant rains or an excess of moisture, absolutely all the scales must be removed. They are re-formed during storage.

These are all important aspects. Now you can say that you know how to prepare onions for storage. The next step is choosing the environment for the crop.

Choosing a room, place and container for storage

What is the best way to store onions and what container to choose for it? Let's consider the most popular options.

Wicker baskets

This storage method is known to everyone. From the aesthetic side, wicker baskets look beautiful, and the material from which they are made will not harm the vegetables stored in them and the environment.

The openings between the rods allow air to easily enter the basket, thereby providing one of the most important storage conditions - good ventilation. The basket is suitable for a small amount of the harvested crop.

Small boxes

Most often, plastic, sometimes wooden boxes are less profitable from an aesthetic point of view, but from a practical point of view they are much better. Drawers can be placed in a corner or stacked one by one.

In addition, in this case, the ventilation conditions are met. The box is suitable for those who want to save space for storage and comply with all storage conditions.

Carton boxes

This option was invented by those who cannot afford to put the harvested crop in a box. And he is now enjoying success! In order to ensure air permeability, small diameter holes must be made in the walls of the boxes.

The size must be such that the bow cannot fall out of the box, but ventilation can also occur freely. In addition, this storage option is very economical: you can ask for boxes at any grocery store in the neighborhood, or use your old ones from household appliances or shoes.

Plain sacks or burlap

This method has a limitation: the bags should not be filled more than 30 cm, otherwise decay processes may begin due to lack of air exchange. And burlap itself is good as a fabric, it is not for nothing that since ancient times our ancestors kept all their crops in bags. Suitable for storage in basements or storerooms, because hardly anyone wants to decorate their living quarters in this way.

Vegetable nets

That is why they are vegetable (from the word vegetable) in order to store the appropriate product in them. The nets belong to specialized containers and are designed specifically to save various fruits, including onion fruits.

The advantages include visual control of the products inside the grid: if the vegetable is rotten, it can be seen immediately. You can also provide the product with excellent air circulation. But, as with bags, hardly anyone wants to leave it within the confines of their apartment or house, which is why the net is most often used for storage in the basement.

Nylon tights

This storage method is suitable for a pantry or basement. Nylon is a synthetic fabric. The tights are designed so that ventilation is good enough as they mainly interact with human skin.

Taking this factor into account, you can safely store your bow in tights without worrying about air exchange. The downside, as in several previous versions, is the aesthetic side.

Onion braids (braids)

This option is suitable for storage both in basements and storerooms, as well as in indoor rooms. A braid woven from onions can be an excellent decoration for the kitchen and one of the main decorative elements. In addition, this method is effective as it does not cause air stagnation and provides visual control. Making a braid from bulbs is not difficult: the Internet is full of instructions for performing this process.

In order to secure storage of onions in an apartment, you should choose dry and well-ventilated places for the location of containers with crops. A pantry (if there is one in the house), a mezzanine or a wardrobe, as well as a floor, if the owner can afford it, can be called quite suitable.

If we are talking about a private house, then it is worth saying how to store dried onions in the cellar.

It is impossible for the cellar to be damp, it must be well treated with lime from various fungal infections. This can be done in summer or autumn, but it is better to carry out regular preventive procedures, otherwise the bulb rots or may give distillation.

About the shelf life of onions

It all depends on the temperature at which the onion is stored. For example, at a maximum (up to 18-20 degrees), the shelf life can be about four months. At medium temperature and preliminary preparation, the shelf life of onions increases significantly: up to six to nine months, and if the crop is found in sealed bags - up to a year.

Another way is a freezer or refrigerator. How to store onions in the refrigerator in winter? For this method, the bulbs are cut into slices, having previously cleaned them of scales and husks, and then folded into plastic bags or left on a board. Sometimes housewives prefer to put the blanks in a special container. This storage method is suitable for a small amount of vegetables and the shelf life in this case is only a month.After a month, the bulbous heads will already have a frozen, unmarketable look, and the taste will deteriorate or disappear altogether. But this method is suitable for storing onions in the kitchen. The temperature inside the freezer should be kept to a minimum. If the refrigerator does not have a special compartment for frozen food, it is better to use other storage methods at medium temperatures.

On the storage features of some types of onions

We have already sorted out how to store onions in a cellar at home, but only in general terms. Now it's worth talking about the storage features of some types of vegetables.

Green onions

What is the best way to store this species? Green onions (the so-called onion feathers) are stored for up to 2 weeks. The place to save it should be the bottom shelf in the refrigerator or a special "zero" chamber. In order for the feather to retain its presentation as long as possible, you need to carefully clean the onions from stale shoots, moisten the roots with water (only the roots), and then wrap everything together in a damp piece of cloth. On top of the textile layer, you need to make another one - a paper one. Wrap the paper around the base of the feathers and begin to tie it with thread.

Another option is to wrap the green shoots in special food paper or place them in a container filled with water, and cover them with a plastic bag on top. You can do the same as with onions. Sliced, it is stored in the freezer, and dried as a seasoning can last much longer than fresh.

Leek

Storage conditions for leeks are slightly different from those for the usual onions. What needs to be done to make it grow well, and what absolutely must not be done?

Pour the sand mixture into the prepared pot (you can use ordinary sand) in a small layer (about 5 cm). After that, you need to plant leek stalks, the distances between them are covered with sand (about 10 cm).

Yalta (red)

How to store Yalta onions? The storage of this variety is usually short-lived (up to 5 months). Harvests of this type are best kept in the refrigerator or cellar.

You can braid a braid from onions (how to weave, described above). Preparation of onions for long-term storage is no different from ordinary cleaning and preparation.

Onion

How to preserve onions for the winter, if we are talking about the usual onions, has already been described above. The basic rules are unchanged. Where to store onions in winter? You can store onions for the winter in a cellar, pantry, refrigerator or apartment. Not all varieties are suitable for long-term storage. You can find out which onion is stored for as long as possible at the very beginning of the article.

Storing onions at home is a simple and time-consuming process. An alternative option is to store the onion in special storage facilities. But not everyone needs this method, and besides, at home, the owner can control the process from the inside.

Storing onions without the required conditions

"How to store onions for the winter?" Is also a very common question. It's very simple: just like in a house, the only difference is in the place of saving.

It is worth noting that you can simply plant winter onion seeds in order to harvest the harvest in the spring and not be tormented by questions of how to store onions for the winter and how to properly store onions in winter. Today, with a huge seed palette, choosing the right seeds will not be difficult, and onions will decorate any, family or professional, vegetable garden and will become an indispensable component in cooking and preservation.

Conclusion

Very often inexperienced gardeners ask the question, is it possible to store onions and garlic together? Can! Dishes for such a neighborhood should not restrict air access, too tight a neighborhood is also not welcome, it is ideal to use a spacious bag instead of some other container. But the best option for shared storage is braids. And if the onion rots during storage or diseases appear, then the problem is not in the neighborhood, but in non-compliance with the basic storage conditions.

Observing all these simple rules, anyone can choose the method that suits them best and no longer ask questions about how to prepare onions for storage and how to store onions in an apartment. Pruning, drying and proper storage of onions on your own is an investment in the future, because already next season it will be possible to plant sets, and during the winter - enjoy your own harvest. The main thing is not to forget to clean the places where it is stored as long as necessary.

Now you know how to store onions at home. Enjoy your meal!