How to freeze onions. Freezing is an easy way to store onions. This helps preserve them when you harvest a bumper crop.
How to freeze onions
One of the easiest things to grow in a garden is onions. We buy the little packages of bulbs with 100 in each package. We enjoy the yellow onions and also the purple onions so we buy 2 packages. Yes, 200 onions to plant in the garden. Now that is a lot of onions!
We like to share them with our kids and our neighbors. We store what is left. Storing the onions can sometimes be a challenge. Someday we plan on building a root cellar, but it isn’t at the top of the list yet. So until it moves into the priority position I had to come up with other ways to store onions.
We don’t claim to be experts but enjoy sharing with you the successes and failures we have so we can all learn together.
In the past, we have tried putting onions in mesh bags which worked fair but not the greatest. We have put them in boxes before but that didn’t work well for us either. Onions need to have the air circulating to prevent them from going moldy.
Harvesting onions
This is the technique we use to store our onions. Digging onions and laying them out on the ground to dry is our first step. Occasionally we may get a frost at night when we dig the onions, so, for this reason, we may put them in our shop on a tarp to cure. When the tops of the onions have dried out we are ready to put them into storage. The reason why we dry the tops is to prevent the onions from molding.
How we store onions
In order to store the onions, we put the onions into a nylon stocking (pantyhose), tying a knot between each of the onions. We hang the string of onions from a nail on the wall in the basement where it is cool and dark. This method works great for us. We have kept the onions until May using this method.
The first method for freezing onions
Freezing onions is something I like doing. Not only does it make it easier for me when I am in a hurry fixing meals, but it is also a great way to store them. I have two methods I use to freeze onions.
In some recipes, I like to use chopped up onions. The onions freeze really well when chopped up. The one thing you need to remember is when frozen onions become mushy once they are thawed.
For this reason, I freeze them on a cookie sheet so they are easy to break apart. This way I can add the right amount to the meal I am preparing. Use them in your recipes the way you do when they are fresh.
The second method for freezing onions
The next method I like to use is to puree the onions. This method works great and for people in your family that don’t like onions, this is a great way to add them without those picky eaters noticing. They give the dish a bit of flavor without the texture of the onion.
For this method, I peel the onion and cut it into smaller pieces if needed. I drop the onion into my blender and puree it to the consistency I want.
I put the pureed onions into a ziplock baggie. The trick for this one is, don’t fill the bag to full. You want the onions to be in a thin layer so you can break off frozen chunks of the onions and put them into your recipe.
Freezing is a great way to preserve your onions whether you grow your onions in your garden or you get a good deal on them at the store.
What are some of the ways you store your onions? I would love to hear!
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