When To Harvest Shallots

[68lbs]

Hi all, long time since I've posted on here... life and allotment seems to have got in the way. I was just wondering if I could get some advice as I can't find anything useful on Google and you guys are always great.

I've grown shallots for the first time this year with the sole purpose of making pickled onions. Nothing flashy, just sets from good old Wilko... a pack of red and a pack of white. Just wondering when they should be harvested. Some are looking quite large! In fact, bigger than my over-wintered onions which were a complete flop.

There's a couple of pics here to try and give an idea of size...





Many thanks in advance for any advice

[Jay-ell]

I usually wait until the tops flop over and start to die back. At the mo they've flopped over (although that could be amorous pigeons) so just waiting for them to start to die off on he greens to harvest and hang.

[Snadger]

Yours still look as if they are actively growing 68lbs. They store best if they have ripened, ie the tops fall over and go brown.

[Bill Door]

I agree with Jay-ell. From the pictures I think you will have to wait for a week or two. However, if you think you need the ground for another crop you could "ease" the roots with a hand fork under the roots and "break" the roots from the soil, but don't take them totally out of the ground. This allows the shallots to "die" off. You will still need to ensure that the shallot leaves turn from the current green to a light brown and look shrivelled. Mine have reached the stage of being loose in the soil and I will be picking them shortly.

Well done for growing them for pickles. If you have a lot to pickle I would recommend doing one jar in sherry vinegar as something different for Christmas.

best wishes

Bill

[68lbs]

Cheers all, just wasn't sure given their size already. Another few weeks should be fine though... might just use the bigger ones for cooking.

I would recommend doing one jar in sherry vinegar as something different for Christmas.

That sounds like a good idea... I'm wondering whether I might try a few different pickling liquids. Cider vinegar might be another option. I'm going to have masses of the buggers... I must have close to 60 clumps with say an average of 5 per clump? I reckon that's about 300 pickled onions. Just me eating them most of the time, so about 6 a week!

[veggiechicken]

Don't forget to keep some back to replant for next year

[68lbs]

Don't forget to keep some back to replant for next year

Okay, now that's something I wasn't aware of!

Shallots grow from a shallot?

[Snoop Puss]

Essentially, you use one of this year's shallots as a set for next year's.

[Zelenina]

You could harvest them now if you want to use them immediately. But for storage it's better to let them ripen some more as others have said.