Best recommendations: how to preserve onions at home in an apartment

Onions are one of the most popular vegetables in the kitchen. However, it is used not only in cooking, but also for medicinal purposes, so gardeners, after harvesting, strive to preserve supplies for as long as possible. This culture is good stored in cool cellars, but you can also store it at room temperature. We will tell you in this article how to store onions at home in an apartment.

Basic rules for storing onions in an apartment

The place to store onions should be dry and cool, have good ventilation and shade. Each type of onion requires its own storage conditions.

Green onions

The less time passed between harvesting the onion and placing it on storage - all the better. Choose dense, elastic feathers with a waxy coating on the surface. You can't wash onions. Feathers will last the longest in the refrigerator: 2-3 weeks at +3...+4°C, 1-2 months at 0°C.

The lower part of the bunch is dipped into a glass of cold water for several minutes so that the feathers are saturated with moisture. Wrap the bundle in a piece of gauze, on top - in parchment paper and place in a plastic bag.

Advice. You can make a simple preparation: chop the greens and mix with salt (250 g per kg), place them in a jar in layers. Shelf life – 4-6 months.

Bulb

Onions are well stored in winter in the kitchen, in the room, and even on the balcony, withstanding low humidity (55%). Optimal storage temperature – 0°C.Frozen onions are stored at a temperature of –18°C (12-18 months).

Leek

On the balcony, leeks can withstand temperatures of -7°C if the box is properly insulated. In the freezer – for about a year at a temperature not lower than –18°C. In the refrigerator - 2-3 weeks.

Preparing onions for storage

Preparation for storage begins in advance, even at the growing stage. 2 weeks before harvesting, they stop watering it to allow it to dry out. They are removed in dry weather and poured under a canopy to dry, spread out in one layer.

If you plan to store onions not in braids, feather trimmed after 2-3 days, leaving 5-8 cm, and cut off the roots. Drying takes from two weeks to a month in a dry and well-ventilated area. At the end of October, the bulbs are stored.

Which storage space in the apartment should I choose?

To save onions all winter, choose a place that meets cultural requirements.

Fridge

Onions don't last long in the refrigerator. The bulbs are wrapped in a plastic bag or placed in containers. Most often, chopped onions left after cooking are preserved this way. Polyethylene protects other products from onion smell. You can also use a paper bag with holes. Shelf life is a week, maximum one and a half.

Whole onions, washed and dried, are finely chopped and, placed in bags, stored in the freezer. So the vegetable can be stored for 6-8 months without loss of taste. You can pre-fry the onions: separately or with other vegetables.

Balcony

A balcony is not suitable for storage: since the temperature there in winter often drops below 0°C, the onions can freeze and become unsuitable for eating. Onions retain their properties only in the case of quick freezing, and in a balcony the temperature drops gradually.

However, in a pinch, this place will do. If possible, the balcony is insulated so that the temperature inside, even in cold weather, remains above zero. Vegetables are placed in boxes, which are placed on thick sheets of foam and covered with a thick blanket.

Attention! If overwrapped, the onion will begin to sprout.

Additionally, you can sprinkle the bulbs with chalk or dry sand: they will help maintain optimal humidity and temperature and will not allow pathogenic microorganisms to multiply.

Loggia

Onions are stored on the loggia in the same way as on the balcony.

Corridor

In the hallway, it is convenient to store onions in braids, hanging them on the walls or placing them in wooden boxes placed on pallets.

How to store onions in an apartment

In the apartment, onions are stored in any convenient container: box, box, bag. If there are only a few onions, use bags made of thick paper, fabric bags, and nylon stockings.

Boxes

The container can be wooden or plastic with one obligatory condition: drainage holes must be made in the box for air circulation. The onions are dried before laying.

No more than a 10-liter bucket of vegetables is poured into the box. The onion layer is no more than 30 cm in height. Thick cardboard is placed on the bottom.

If the box is large, with large holes, and the bulbs are small and can slip out, a plastic mesh with small cells (for example, designed to protect against rodents) is placed around the perimeter of the container.

Carton boxes

Storing bulbs in cardboard boxes is no less convenient than in a box, but you need to lay clean and dry newspaper on the bottom, and change it to a new one every month.

Baskets made of wicker

Baskets woven from wicker are durable and do not emit harmful substances, unlike their plastic counterparts. Thanks to the handle, it is convenient to carry the basket. The container must be dry: before laying the bulbs, it is dried on all sides.

If onions were previously stored in this basket, pre-treatment is carried out: spray the basket inside and out with 2% Bordeaux mixture and allow the product to dry. The volume of the baskets is 5-6 liters, no more is needed, since in too deep a container the bulbs lying in the middle will begin to rot.

Fabric bags

Only bags made of natural fabrics are suitable: linen, cotton, burlap. In such bags, the bulbs will be successfully stored all winter. Vegetables are packaged in 4-5 kg ​​packs.

Thick paper bags

Thick paper bags also preserve the harvest well. The rules are the same as for fabric bags.

Polypropylene mesh

The polypropylene mesh is good because it allows air to circulate, and if the vegetable begins to rot, the spoiled vegetable will be immediately visible. This grid saves space - it can be hung in any convenient corner.

In braids

This storage method is not only convenient, but also acts as a unique element of room decor. Weaving work is not difficult, but it requires perseverance and skill. Heads with a stem at least 15 cm long are suitable, and specimens of the same size are selected.

Select the bulb with the longest feathers and tie the tail to a rope of the required length so that there are three edges: one from the tops and two from the rope. The one from the tops should be located in the middle. The braid begins to be woven according to the principle of a regular braid, but with each grip, one onion is added on both sides. Weaving is stopped when 10 cm of rope remains to the top of the braid.The remaining ends are tied into a strong loop, by which the braid is hung in a convenient place.

Store onion “braids” in a dry room with good ventilation at a temperature of +18...+20°C and a humidity of no more than 70%. The basement is not suitable for storage.

In nylon tights

Experienced gardeners prefer to store onions in nylon stockings or tights. A small number of heads fit into the stocking, so the bulbs are ventilated and do not become damp. It is convenient to monitor them in order to detect and remove spoiled vegetables in time. The stocking is hung on a hook, it does not take up space on the floor or shelf.

Advice. Sprinkle the bulbs generously with onion peels, sawdust, chalk or finely chopped dried nettles. This will increase the shelf life of the vegetable.

Optimal storage conditions

For hot onion varieties: –1…– 3°C and 75-90% humidity, for semi-sharp and sweet onions – from 0 to –1°C at the same humidity. In the apartment: at a temperature of +18...+22°C and humidity 70%.

The optimal humidity for sweet and semi-sharp varieties is 70%.

It is best to store onions separately from other crops without fluctuations in humidity and temperature.

Reasons for onion spoilage during storage and how to avoid it

Onions of late, sharp varieties are stored best and longest. Yellow onions last longer than red or white onions, and hot varieties last longer than sweet and semi-sweet ones. Sweets spoil the fastest.

Advice from experienced gardeners:

1. Handle the bulbs carefully before storing them: do not crush them, do not throw them from a height.
2. Once a month, go through your supplies: immediately remove any vegetable that has begun to deteriorate (not only rotten, but also soft).
3. If the temperature in the room where the onions are stored is between +20...+25°C, do not try to remove all the dry scales from the onions, leave them on the bulbs. Better yet, add an extra portion. It will help retain the right amount of moisture and prevent the bulbs from drying out.
4. Treating the roots with lime will help prevent bulbs from sprouting. However, they will no longer be suitable as planting material.
5. If you have to leave onions in a room where the humidity differs from acceptable standards, place another container next to it - with sawdust, salt, wood ash or lime. These compositions, acting as a sorbent, will absorb excess moisture.

Conclusion

There are many options for storing vegetables. The main thing is to strictly follow the instructions and observe four basic storage conditions: air humidity, temperature, cleanliness of the room and storage containers and ventilation. Then a long winter will not harm the onion.