Harvesting, Drying and Storing Garden Onions April 17, 2013

Onions are one of the most rewarding vegetables to grow, in my opinion.  I late Fall, I order onion sets from Dixondale Farms.  They come in bundles of sets that are bout 5-6 inches tall.  I plant them fairly deep into very well aerated soil, so that they can expand and grow large.  Some don’t do much, for whatever reason, but most of those I plant mature into good sized onions.

Onion sets

 

Last year, I planted a mix of 1015′s, named by the date the onion seeds are planted, October 15; Red Creole onions, and White Bermudas.  Several weeks ago, a few of the onions started to bolt, or go to seed, which means they will not mature any further and should be harvested.   When they bolt, a hard stalk grows up the center of the onion, and forms what would eventually be a flower, if you didn’t pull them.  They are still perfectly good after they bolt, but should be harvested.

Bolting onion

 

I harvested perhaps 15 bolting onions, mostly the red ones.  I’m not sure why, but the red onions seem to bolt first – perhaps because of our extreme and unseasonable weather variations.  (As I sit here on April 17, 2013, a cold front will soon roar into Austin, leaving temperatures in the low to mid 40′s at night.)

Last week, several of the onions had started laying down, a sign that they are finished maturing, and will need to be harvested soon.  After a ridiculously busy weekend, wherein I didn’t see my garden, I was surprised Monday, to find that nearly half of my onion crop was laying on its side.  I finally had time to pull the finished onions out of the ground today.

We are done!

Harvested Onions

Some were moderate size, some were the size of softballs, a new experience for me.   My best onion harvest yet, and some of the largest ones are still in the ground.

I rinsed them with the hose over the remaining growing onions, so as not to waste any precious water.  I then moved them to the top of my fire pit, which is metal mesh, which allows great ventilated space for the onions to dry and form the outer skin you see on grocery store onions.  Naturally, I kept some for immediate eating.  They are so tender and sweet, I sauteed some as a fajita topper for dinner.

Pile of onions

Once they have dried out a bit, I use the garden  snippers to remove the green stalk and some of the roots.  I then transfer them to a shady spot for a day or two until the snipped part dries out.

Drying onions

Once dried, the onions can be hung in a vented bag and will store for months.  I usually run out of my onions 7-8 months after harvesting.

So far most of the red onions that I’ve pulled are fairly medium to smallish.  Perhaps not enough for a good round of red onion pickling, a favorite of mine for pickling and canning.  I can rely on the farms and farmer’s markets for those.

Pickled onions

 

The universe appears to be in my favor this early Spring, as I have several peppers that will be ready for harvest in the next week, more fresh onions in the ground, and potatoes flowering and nearly ready for harvest.  I love little more than sautéed onions, peppers, and potatoes in some Springdale Farm scrambled eggs.  Such goodness almost makes the wait for the first tomatoes bearable, and then after that, its game on!    And then I’m all about salsa.  Eating seasonably is so satisfying; the wait makes every harvest taste so much better.

 

I love Onions! December 2, 2012

It seems like every month, I tweet or post that I’m planting my very favorite thing to grow.  But, really, its onions.  I swear.  Today, I got my onions planted.

I order my onions from Dixondale Farms from Carrizo Springs every year, and it is most exciting when they arrive.  I normally plant in late November, to early December.  And I have historically planted two to three, five feet by five feet raised beds with onions.

They require little care during the winter, just water really, as they are hardy  to below freezing temperatures.  My onion spot is well protected by my house, so I don’t cover them in the winter, unless there is a very hard freeze expected.  Today, as I planted, I heard my air conditioner cycling on and off, as it was 80 something degrees.  Normally, when I’m planting onions, I plant for a while, then run to my patio to warm myself at the fire pit.  Not today.  It all feels kind of wrong.

I have had a long term plan for the side of my house, the only place where there is real sun.  Last year, I bought a chainsaw and mowed down the huge shrubs close to the house.  Then earlier this year, I took out a sick Catalpa tree, that was shading the whole side of the house, and creating a visual traffic hazard for me, backing out of my driveway.

I hired Texas Trees and Landscaping to  scrape the whole side of my house clean from grass, and install a series of limestone gardens.  It is my dream mini-farm really, and this is where I planted my onions today.

This year, I ordered a Short Day Sampler, 1015s, Yellow Granex and White Bermuda Onions.  Historically, I’ve found that the red onions bolt (go to seed) early on and so few reach maturity.  But, I love to pickle red onions, so I planted a bunch today.

One of the things I love about onions, is that they are so versatile.  Once harvested in the Spring, if allowed to form the dry skin, which I do by laying in the sun for a couple of days, they can store in a mesh bag for months.  And, the aforementioned mentioned pickled onions are amazing!

In a Facebook exchange with my Aunt today, she said “no meal is complete without an onion.”  I remember so many meals in Oklahoma with my dad’s side of the family – his dad had a farm – and there was almost always what most folks would considered a giant green onion, cut into chunks, on every plate.  You can eat onions at just about every stage of their growth.  What most know as “Spring onions” or “green onions” are just immature onions.  With our strange warmish weather pattern, many will get confused and go to seed.  Those can be pulled and eaten at any point.  Once onions are at their height of maturity, they will simply lay over, as if to say “I’m done!”  For those that I allow to go to that stage, I pull out of the ground, lay on top of the garden, and allow to dry in the sun for a couple of days.  This forms the outer skin most folks identify with.

Grow some onions!

Premature Onion Harvest March 18, 2011

This year I planted my onions early, under the theory that time in the ground would translate into size.  I did not plant the purple onions this time around, because they bolted, or went to seed earlier than the others.  I’m guessing the early warmth of this late winter have confused some of my crop, and they have likewise bolted.   Once they bolt, they no longer mature, so I pull them up and just eat them as Spring onions, rather than letting them dry for later.

Pulled onions

When they go to seed, like any plant, they form a bud, which if left, would flower.

Bolted

As much as I would love to have hundreds of onions to dry and store for use for the next 6 months or so, I’ll take them as nature wants me to have them.  They are delicious at this stage, fresh, bright, juicy, delicious onion flavor with little heat and none of that acrid onion taste that develops when onions sit over time.    I had some today,  sliced up raw with BBQ.

All cleaned up

As much as I hope the remainder of my onion crop hangs in there, I’m happy for these beauties and will enjoy them for days to come.

I’m Going to Need a Bigger Garden March 13, 2011

Today I decided to get my tomatoes into the ground, based on the forecast of some rain, and warmer weather for the two weeks ahead.  I also took a risk and put my row covers up, however leaving the hoops behind, just in case.

Several weeks ago, I bought some Celebrity and Valley Girl tomatoes and transplanted them into 6 inch pots, and stuck them in the greenhouse.  They have grown and established impressive root systems since then, so I think they are ready for planting.

First, I had to harvest some lettuce to make room.

 

Lettuce Harvest

 

In the 24 foot garden, the left 4×4 feet is occupied by Lancelot Leeks.  The second 4×4 section has some lettuce and 4 tomato plants I planted on Friday.  So, today, I planted the next 4×4 section with 4 more tomato plants.  I’m attempting a new method of irrigation (new for me) which I read recently on Field and Feast, my friend Cecilia’s site.  For this method, you bury quart sized pots up to the rim, and fill with water for more even disbursement at the roots.  I had lots of trouble with blossom end rot last Spring, most likely from uneven watering, so I’m trying this.

So, I got 4 more tomato plants in the ground with their buried pots.

 

Tomatoes with buried pots

 

Then I moved onto the repurposed garden where I initially ripped up landscaping and planted corn.  This garden was not affected by pests, mockingbirds or squirrels and produced most of my tomatoes in the Fall, so I’m sticking with what works.  In an effort not to overcrowd, I just planted 3 plants in this garden.  I also planted one Large Red Cherry Tomato in each of my Earthboxes.    For all of these plantings, the soil has been turned and amended with Ladybug 8-2-4; I put Worm Castings at the bottom of the hole prior to planting, and then top dress with Turkey Compost.

 

Tomato Gardens

 

With all that planting done, I realized my greenhouse is full to pepper, cucumber, eggplant and more tomato seedlings for which I have no more room.  The 8 foot garden is full of corn (maybe), sugar snap peas, carrots, leeks and potatoes.

 

Corn, sugar snap peas, carrots, potatoes, leeks

 

Potatoes are so much fun to grow, because they take a while to come up, while their root systems form, but when they do, they spring forth rather spectacularly, with a fairly large plant.

 

Potato Plant

So, while I was watering the onions and garlic (all the while pondering ripping out more landscaping) I noticed some of the onions had bolted.  No! Once they go to seed, they are still edible, but they will not get any bigger.  So, I pulled up the bolted ones and brought them in for cleaning.  This is why I plant so many onions, because some always bolt.

 

 

Bolted Onions

At some point in the future, the two onion and garlic beds will be ready to be purged of their 5 month inhabitants, and will make way for the peppers that will soak up the summer sun until fall again, when it will again be time to plant onions.  And so it goes.

 

Onion Planting Day! November 7, 2010

The onions I ordered from Dixondale Farms in Carrizo Springs, arrived on Thursday.  Onions are one of my very favorite things to grow, because they are so incredibly rewarding.  I just finished the last of the onions I planted last December – they last for a long, long time once allowed to dry and if stored correctly.

I bought onions for me, and several other folks, so this will look like a lot!

Onion Sets

I had planned to get these in the ground yesterday, but surprisingly, was nearly taken out by a pinched nerve, or something incredibly painful, in my hip.  I’m still not sure what happened, but I was down for the count yesterday.  This morning, determined to power through and get my onions in the ground, I decided I could to it and headed on out.  I picked the last of the green beans, pulled up the corn that wasn’t going to make corn, and other assorted weeds and leaves, and drug the bag of compost over.  I was able to divide the compost and work it into the soil, sitting down on the raised beds, with a hand shovel.  Not the most efficient way, but it worked.  Oh, and the garlic I got from my Farm Day at Green Gate Farms has come up!

Garlic is up!

I then started planting the onions, 1015′s, Yellow Granex and White Bermuda, by sticking the non-forked end of a fork into the ground to make a hole, putting the onion in then covering it up.  This took a while, with my lack of mobility, but it was kind of nice being so close to the soil, pulling up roots of the vegetables and fruits that had grown there before, and remembering triumphs and failures of these two beds, that were gifted to me be a dear friend a while back.  I wrote about it here:  http://wp.me/po5VL-1z  These two 5×5 beds have produced tons of peppers, tomatoes, green beans, watermelon, onions, shallots, garlic, no corn, and I can’t even remember what else.   The soil has been added to, amended and turned countless times and these beds which are on the side of my house have been very productive.

The onions are planted the garlic is up, and there are two volunteer onions, shallots or possibly pink garlic that are thriving in the corner of one of these beds.  I think it is going to be a good crop of onions, come Spring, and it always feels good getting the gardens filled with onions and tucked in for the Fall and Winter months.

Onion and Garlic beds

Time to Order Onions! October 19, 2010

I’ve been watching the Dixondale Farms website daily for their release of the 2011 Onion Catalog.  Today, it was out!  Rather than use their automated order system online, I called to get a jump on my onion order.  Onions are among my very favorite foods to grow.   You plant them in late Fall, and just keep them watered during the winter and Spring.  I am still eating onions from last year’s harvest, although I’m running low.

Historically, I’ve planted the short day sampler, which included 3 varieties.  I found that the purple onions bolted early and didn’t do as well as the 1015′s, so I changed up my order this year, and ordered 1015s, Yellow Granex and White Bermuda.  They will ship November 1, 2010 and I’ll get them in the ground immediately, because the earlier you plant them, the bigger they get.

I have two dedicated raised beds for onions, that now contain green beans which are about to produce.  I’ll be reading up on the best soil amendments for onions, and will amend the soil accordingly before planting them. 

And, in the mean time, I’ll be doing the onion happy dance!

http://www.dixondalefarms.com