Preparing non-storeable Onions for storing?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Following the Great Eelworm Plague of earlier this year, the advice seems to be that you can eat the onions, but they won't store.

With this in mind I went to the Hill last night gave the onion bed a long overdue weed and turfed out about half of the smaller onions which will hopefully give the others more room to grow.

I'm resigned to not storing certainly the ones that I've havested so far, but if they wont store as is, how can I freeze/cook/process what I have? I'm looking for ways to preserve the onions as onions to use later, rather than recipes with onions in...........

[Peter]

Following the Great Eelworm Plague of earlier this year, the advice seems to be that you can eat the onions, but they won't store.

With this in mind I went to the Hill last night gave the onion bed a long overdue weed and turfed out about half of the smaller onions which will hopefully give the others more room to grow.

I'm resigned to not storing certainly the ones that I've havested so far, but if they wont store as is, how can I freeze/cook/process what I have? I'm looking for ways to preserve the onions as onions to use later, rather than recipes with onions in...........

1. Chop.
2. Put into a huge plastic bag, loosely, its just to keep the freezer smell free.
3. Freeze.
4. Bash the bag a bit to loosen the bits.
5. Rebag tightly in portion sized amounts.
6. LABEL Clearly.

[Hazel at the Hill]

None of this blanching nonsense, then?

[Peter]

None of this blanching nonsense, then?

Not for onion as you are most likely to fry them, yes?


Water from blanching + hot fat?

[Hazel at the Hill]

Not for onion as you are most likely to fry them, yes?

Water from blanching + hot fat?

Hadn't thought of that!

[JennieAtkinson]

Thanks Peter, wondered what to do with my overwintered Japanese.

[Polly Fouracre]

Dry them and store in an airtight jar.
There are a few sites that will tell you how or if stuck come back to me.
Dried fruit and veg.take up a tiny amount of space and(so Im told) if done properly retain most of the nutrients of fresh.
I have successfully dried apples,mushrooms,herbs.onions,peppers,peas.beans,blackcurrants,plums and I cant remember what else.
These all tasted fine when reconstituted.

[Headfry]

Polly, how can we dry our veg/fruit?

Tips please.

[rustylady]

None of this blanching nonsense, then?

I've tried freezing fruit and vegetables both with and without blanching. I have to say I've had better results without blanching so I never bother now.

[Sue]

Headfy
Buy a dehydrator, I dry things like onions as I run out of freezer space and the dried fruit and veg takes up relatively little space stored in jars.
It also means I can buy local produce like Kentish cob nuts and dry these instead of having to buy in imported produce. You can dry grapes (seedless ones for less trouble) for raisins. Herbs are excellent processed this way and fruit too like apples. I also love drying citrus peel which when ground in a coffee grinder makes a good cake flavouring and drying celery and mixing half and half with salt to cut down on salt intake without losing flavour. You can dry flowers for pot pourri and make candied peel etc etc. Am a great fan of this piece of kitchen equipment.
There is a good book that can be ordered from Amazon by Mary Bell if you want to look into it first.
Sue

[Polly Fouracre]

I dry my stuff in the oven,though a dehydrator would be the easiest way.
I line the oven shelves with muslin and keep it at its coolest setting until things are completely dry.This can take quite a while and obviously the oven cant be used unless you go to all the trouble of taking things out and repacing them.
For onions,peel and slice very thinly,place on shelves(you could use paper instead of muslin)and spread them out a bit.Shut oven door about threequarters and put something in to stop it shutting completely.They should dry in a few hours.Keep checking and take out any that are quite dry.
I am sure I have seen a plan for making a solar dryer somewhere recently.I will pass it on if I find it and WHEN we get this promised long hot summer it will come in handy!