Preserving onions whole (drying)? ? ?

[Michelle_Nelson]

I've got about 15 onions ready too pull yesterday.  I need to get it done but there are way to many to eat.  I am not quite sure what type they are.  I do know that I bought them because I wanted to preserve them whole by letting them dry.  Kinda like what you would buy in the store.

How do I go about doing this and how should I store them?   

[wapiti hunter2]

When they are ready pull them with the tops attached.  Set them in a cool shady dry place for about a week to two.  Not critical.  Then, when the roots are dry and the skins have firmed up a bit cut the roots off, (I use scissors), then cut the tops off, brush off the dirt but do not wash.  Store them in a cool dry place that won't freeze in something that air can circulate through, like the bags they come in from the store.  We keep onions this way till May. 

[PLUVIUSWAPITI]

Michelle, Back in the days when I had a garden and grew lots of Walla Walla sweets I did just the way Wapiti Hunter2 except, I would have to steel some pantyhose from the girlfriend. Drop one onion in one leg and tie it off, then another one and filled up the pantyhose making sure they did not touch. Stored in the basement where it is cool and not much daylight,had onions into late fall

[huntmando]

Cool and dry, thats the key. Just hang em in the garage.

[huntinhick]

we would tie 3 or 4 together with string and hang them in the basement or root cellar sometimes they would last most the summer.

[wapiti hunter2]

If you have walla walla's you will have to eat them first.  They do not store long.  Mine only store till Thanksgiving-Christmas.  My other onions store longer. 

[rasbo]

must have circulation,cool and dry..onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

[Michelle_Nelson]

onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

Do what?

[Michelle_Nelson]

When they are ready pull them with the tops attached.  Set them in a cool shady dry place for about a week to two.  Not critical.  Then, when the roots are dry and the skins have firmed up a bit cut the roots off, (I use scissors), then cut the tops off, brush off the dirt but do not wash.  Store them in a cool dry place that won't freeze in something that air can circulate through, like the bags they come in from the store.  We keep onions this way till May. 

When you say cool, how cool?  When I go and pull them up can I bring them in the house to dry or should I leave them outside?  If inside do I need to put a fan on them?

Mine are all still in the ground right now.  I am pretty sure they are done they are about the size of a base ball or soft ball. 

[rasbo]

onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

Do what?

when you pull one outta the dirt the stems should be brown,you know the are ready when you grab the stems and give it a snap and the onion falls off.Thats how the farmers know when the crop is ready

[Michelle_Nelson]

onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

Do what?

when you pull one outta the dirt the stems should be brown,you know the are ready when you grab the stems and give it a snap and the onion falls off.Thats how the farmers know when the crop is ready

That makse sense but i have noticed on a few of the larget onions that they are starting to show rot spots in the out side layer.  I have onlt found 3 like this.  One was already trying to go to seed. 

I planted these first week of June I believe.  I do not want the rest of them to start rotting.

[rasbo]

onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

Do what?

when you pull one outta the dirt the stems should be brown,you know the are ready when you grab the stems and give it a snap and the onion falls off.Thats how the farmers know when the crop is ready

That makse sense but i have noticed on a few of the larget onions that they are starting to show rot spots in the out side layer.  I have onlt found 3 like this.  One was already trying to go to seed. 

I planted these first week of June I believe.  I do not want the rest of them to start rotting.

dont let them rot foresure,its a lot damper on this side,

[rasbo]

onions are ready when you give them a shake and they fly off the stem

Do what?

when you pull one outta the dirt the stems should be brown,you know the are ready when you grab the stems and give it a snap and the onion falls off.Thats how the farmers know when the crop is ready

That makse sense but i have noticed on a few of the larget onions that they are starting to show rot spots in the out side layer.  I have onlt found 3 like this.  One was already trying to go to seed. 

I planted these first week of June I believe.  I do not want the rest of them to start rotting.

ok,I took a pain pill last night after a walk with woodman...they dig the onions outta the dirt and leave in the rows to dry untill you can shake the onion off the stem with a snap,sorry my writing goes to crap on meds..wet is real bad juju for onions..I brought home 5 huge sacks of onions and set them in the garage,they lasted till april,Im sure they would have went longer but we ran out of them...I put some in a laundry basket with holes and they did fine in there also.If you have a bad onion get it out and away from the others,rot spreads like wildfire

[NRA4LIFE]

I let them dry in bins I built in my garage out of wire mesh.  Dry is the key here.  If any signs of rot show, use those immediately.  Walla Wallas tend not to store as well as yellow or red onions.  I think the sugar content is too high.  Mine keep in my garage until I run out of them usually around March or April.

[Michelle_Nelson]

OK, so I pulled about 10 of the storable onions and have them in the house right now.  It is supposed to get pretty hot today out side.  I brought in a bench from out side and have the onions sitting on that on a towel.  The bulbs mostly hanging off the end of the bench.

Will this work?  Should I bring a fan in and have it blowing on them lightly?

My problem is I have dark places but none of them are really cool.