Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Eating and Drinking => Cooking, Storing and Preserving => Topic started by: Under The Hill on July 19, 2016, 00:19

Title: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: Under The Hill on July 19, 2016, 00:19

This is the first time I have a good crop of onions (probably not good by some standards) but I have around 30 of varying sizes.  I read up about drying them in the sun for a few weeks.  It was raining when I brought them home so I thought I would put them in the green house as the doors and window are always left open so it is not too humid and I thought that would be bright and airy.  They have been in there for a week.  My husband needed one for his meal so I brought one in and both of us were rather horrified at how warm it felt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!   It was delicious raw in our salad, but I am worried now that I should not have left them in the greenhouse as it does get really hot.  Do you think I have ruined them?  Will the rot really quickly now?  I have taken them out and left them on a bench in the garden - suddenly worrying that a badger or fox will have a midnight feast on them tonight  :ohmy: 

Would love to hear how others dry there onions for storage?

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: m1ckz on July 19, 2016, 06:08

ive done the same  but havent tried 1 yet

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: BabbyAnn on July 19, 2016, 07:59

I've dried onions in the greenhouse before now and they were probably the best for storage.  You tend to find the microscopic mites and flora (bacteria and fungus) cannot tolerate such high temperatures and the onion skin dries off more quickly.  However, to be fair, the greenhouse temperatures weren't as high as we are currently experiencing but still hot and dry.

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: ARPoet on July 19, 2016, 08:15

I always dry mine in the greenhouse with the window vent wide open and the door ajar at night.... But not yet. I leave them as long as i can in the soil, usually until the end of August or early September.
Those blue plastic mushroom trays upside down are ideal so you get airflow under the bulbs.

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: Under The Hill on July 19, 2016, 08:23

Oh that is a relief !  And another relief - no animal had them for a midnight feast !   I will put them back in for a few days.  I did leave them on a slatted wooden shelf so they got lots of air flow.  I am away for a month next week so felt I could not leave them in the ground!   Thanks for all your replies  :D

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: juvenal on July 19, 2016, 17:19

I have never understood why there is any difference between drying onions by lifting them and leaving them on the ground, and lifting them and taking them home into a shed, greenhouse or other well-ventilated place.

Taking them home to go under cover means not having to worry about rain or theft (allotment crops)

Title: Re: drying my onions - have I been silly
Post by: oakridge on July 20, 2016, 15:06

Now here is an onion crop, taken near Malvern Road, Cheltenham in 1941.  The chap on the left is my Grandad Beach and on the right Uncle Herbert.