how can I dry onions for storage in this weather!?

[Njugle]

I've just not long demolished an old peat drying shed in the garden. Proof that something cobbled together from slatted scrap wood (like pallets) with a thin corrugated iron roof can do the job as it was there for no less than 30 years, probably nearer 50. It was an ideal drying space.

 

I think another olde worlde solution would be to store them in a loft. Might not be enough air movement in a modern house, depends on what type of house/shed you have.

[Frances144]

Well OH pulled his a few days back. They will be plaited up in a few days or so and that will be that. They will be stored just hanging off nails in the kitchen.

[crofter-amy]

Anyone know how come mine are all going soggy and mouldy in the ground without closing at the neck? Should I be pulling them up thick necked and putting them in a drying shed to close?

 

Happily just found out that they dont need to be par-cooked before freezing so that will save me loads of time

[fairislefaerie]

Amy I thinks you must have a heavy soil with a bit more clay or peat content than you want, you can improve on this for next season by diggin in some grit.

 

Maby try planting your onions on raised dreels, we have to do that as the lower end of our garden is always saturated come this time of year.

[mitzy]

I lifted mine yesterday and placed in a polystyrene box ( old salmon box) sitting in the back green just now drying. About 2 weeks ago I had gently eased their roots to allow air around them. ( Just back from holiday). They seem to have survived okay. I also lifted my shallots and some Golden Wonder Tatties yesterday. Good crops.

 

Last year I stored my tatties, shallots and Onions in polystyrene boxes and this seemed to work. Off to garden now its a beautiful day.

[crofter-amy]

My soil is black and sandy. Everyone tells me it's great soil though I find it hard to stop it drying out in the summer. Adding grit will make it even harder to keep moist in summer but would help it drain in winter, it can become very compacted. Been thinking of reducing the size of the veg plots so I wouldn't have to walk on them anymore.

[crofter-amy]

I never dry my garlic as I can't be doing with the dry skins and I couldn't get it to keep all year. I lift the lot and peel them wet as the skins come off easy. Then I chop the lot and pickle it. Going to try storing some in oil this year as vinigar doesn't do in some recipies.

 

WARNING Further investigation of storing garlic in oil shows it can be dangerous due to Clostridium botulinum bacteria multiplying rapidly in the oxygen free mix if it is above 50F or 10C for ANY length of time. If you want to store garlic in oil it must be kept in the freezer!

[Patzel]

Further investigation of storing garlic in oil shows it can be dangerous due to Clostridium botulinum bacteria multiplying rapidly in the oxygen free mix if it is above 50F or 10C for ANY length of time. If you want to store garlic in oil it must be kept in the freezer!

 

Not only garlic, this applies to other vegetables as well! Even more because Clostridium Botulinus is a bacteria and Garlic has an antibiotic effect and therefore slows down the multiplying action a bit compared to other veg without the antibiotic effect.

 

It's only safe if pickled veg is thoroughly cooked before serving, not only heated.

[Guest Anonymous]

I often eat artichoke hearts that have been preserved in oil and so far touch wood have had no ill effects, not only in this country but in countries where hygene standards are quite lax

[crofter-amy]

Industrialy produced food in oil has additives to make them safe for storage even at room temp. I'ts not an option for me at home and even if the risks are pretty small I think I'll give it a miss, at least till the bairns are much bigger.

[Guest Anonymous]

fair enough for the jars bought from the shop amy but while abroad the metzes is ussually home produced as in at the eatery (restaraunt would be a misleading use of the word) where it is consumed. by all means take care when it comes to your peerie wan but all the hulabaloo about food poisning is sometimes taking a bit too far these days. to be honest a lot of the increase in alergies etc is down to things being kept too clean and the bairns not being exposed to enough muck when growing up.

Who's mam doesn't have a story about them eating worms and all other manner of things from the back yard when they were a bairn and we are still here.

[crofter-amy]

We are crofters so the bairns are well used to eating dirt and worse. That's what I call good clean dirt though and they have never been ill from it, but something about growing bugs in a jar to feed them seems wrong.

[Guest Anonymous]

^ fair enough

[Frances144]

I pickle garlic. That is delicious! I could sit and eat a jarful! I may not have any friends afterwards, but, hey, they are over-rated imho!

 

Pickled garlic is the way to go!

[shetlandpeat]

Just pickled my onions, chillies and garlic. Added some peppercorns too, also pickled spring onions, gonna try cob nuts, must be the same as wallnuts, get em while they r green. Collected a kilo or 2.2lbs of blackberries.