How To Preserve Onions (So They Last For Months)

We had an abundance of onions from the garden this year.More and more, I’m starting to believe that a lot of garden successes depends on the year. Some years God blesses us with an abundance of corn, or potatoes.This year it was onions. I planted both onion seeds as well as bulbs and they both did great.We had a cold Spring, and heat loving plants such as tomatoes and peppers suffered a lot.My corn was late, and even flowers took a long time to bloom. But onions we did have, and lots of them. Not only were there many, they were big in size!They were as big as store bought, fertilized ones. They were beautiful, and I was in awe time and time again.Thankfully, storing these onions for months is no problem.Storing onions that you’ve grown in the garden does require some foresight. Certain varieties keep better, so make sure to watch the label when buying onion sets, or seeds. How to Store Onions so They Last for MonthsWhile you can always chop and freeze onions, that is my least favorite way of storing onions.Onions don’t need a cold cellar for storage, but can be stored in any dry, warm place. This makes it one of the easier vegetables to store.Even if you live in a mobile home, with no basement or garage, onions do great stored in your furnace room. Most of the time.Proper curing of onions for long term storage is crucial. Without the right drying time, onions are more prone to rot.Preserving onions for winter that you’ve grown in your own garden takes one less thing off your grocery bill, as well as give you access to organic vegetables to feed your family.We use a lot of onions in our from scratch meals.They give such an awesome flavor to soups, meats and other main dishes. With the bounty of homegrown onions we have this year, there should be no need to buy any.Knowing how to preserve onions for months is key to preserving the harvest.Key Tips For Storing OnionsOnions need to be cured and dried properly. This is a key step to keeping onions for a long time. Another tip that will help is harvesting onions at the right time.Ideally you will harvest them when the onion tops have toppled over.Some years you might need to encourage this and go and knock them down all at the same time. This helps them to start the process of curing.If you pull the onions when they still have green tops, they will take longer to dry.2024 was one of those years. Usually I harvest them at the beginning of August, but this year they still had a ways to grow in August. I ended up pulling them a month later, in September, a couple weeks before frost came.At this point they were big and beautiful, but with fully green tops. I piled them into our large garden wagon, and put them under cover.A few days later I put them single layer onto tables. An onion drying rack would have been helpful at this point.Another key tip for storing onions is storing them at the right temperature.Store them in a dry, warm place, with airflow. You don’t want the humidity level to be too high.A room temperature room works great, but also a slightly colder area such as a garage or basement. Our garage keeps a temperature of 5°C, and keeps them well.How To Dry Onions After HarvestingDrying is crucial for curing onions for long term storage.When drying onions for storage, remember 3 key points: airflow, warmth, and duration. A warm sunny spot, protected from rain but with air flow is what you need.A greenhouse with open windows works well, as does a shed or enclosed shelter. I’ve cured my onions in a greenhouse one year, but also in a dark shed in others.As long as there is no danger of frost, and you have warm days, they will cure in 2 or three weeks.I gauge the dryness of onions by their stems.It is easy to tell if they are dry, or if there is still moisture in them. Once the onion stems are dry, they easily tear off with a gentle tug.Place them into a cardboard box, about 2 layers deep. They will continue curing and drying in your storage room. How to Store Onions Over WinterOnions can be stored over winter in 2 main ways. You can cure them, and store them in a dry, ventilated area, or chop and freeze.The chop and freeze method works great for onions that are damaged.Cut out the damaged areas, chop the rest, and store. Ziplock bags make great portion sized packages that are perfect for the next time you want to add onions to ground beef or soups.Flatten the packages to make it easier to defrost when needed.Curing onions will allow you to grab a fresh onion anytime over the winter.With proper drying, they will keep for months. If you have a few onions that rot over the year, cut those up and freeze if not needed right away.What is the Best Place to Store Onions Long term?The best place to store onions long term is in a warm, dry, ventilated place.A furnace room on your home works well, or a garage and basement. I’ve had more success with keeping onions long term if its a bit on the colder side, but still above freezing.Refrigerating cured onions is not recommended.Preserving onions so they last for months will be easier if you have grown a variety that is known to keep well. Harvesting them during a dry period (not in the middle of pouring rains) is also helpful.I hope these tips on how to preserve onions was helpful. Have you been able to store onions so they last for months? Let me know.