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Re: Speaking of onions

(I meant to send the following to the veglist but my reader doesn't
reply properly to some posts, so it just went to Stephen Griffiths. 
Sorry, Stephen)

Stephen (and Janet),

If you carfully test the base of the neck of each onion, you can
discover if it's resdy to fall.  Just gently pinch the neck right above
the bulb.  If the stem resist at all then it is not mature.  If the stem
collapses then then neck will fall over and the tops dry down.  Under no
circumstances (as Stephen indicates) should you force a neck over, as
forced onions do not keep.  They get neck rot.

Oh, and never cure a harvested plant in direct sunlight.  It only causes
damage.  (Obvoiusly, a prepared vegetable such as a sliced tomato, can
be *dried* in the sun in some climates.)

Steve



Stephen Griffiths wrote:
> 
> Janet wrote:
> 
> >I have only grown scallions before,  but this year I have some large
> beautiful
> >onions in the garden and the tops are beginning to fall over and die.
> When I
> >do harvest the onions,  I have read they are supposed to be hardened in
> the
> >sun for awhile.  How long is this done?  How long do home-grown onions
> keep if
> >properly stored?
> 
> I don't know where you are in the world but I assume you are in a Temperate
> Northern Hemisphere zone.
> 
> In temperate northern hemisphere climates onions are planted in
> March/April and allowed to grow until about July. During June/July the
> bulbs form. Once the bulbs are fully formed the outer skin will begin to
> harden and the leaves will start to die back. The tops may fall over, or
> not.
> If not, don't do it yourself as this can cause cell damage and create the
> conditions for fungus to grow, thus shortening storage time.
> At this time it is OK to gently lift the onion slightly out of the soil
> with a fork.
> This will encourage the rest of the leaves to die off, by breaking the
> roots.
> The onions can then be lifted properly and left in the sun to dry off.
> Cover
> them if it rains to prevent the leaves from going slimy. Once totally dry
> on
> the outside either cut the leaves off and store the onions in net bags, old
> tights
> (pantyhose) or trays, or plait the dry leaves and hang up the resulting
> strings of onions in a cool dry frost free place.
> 
> Storage times vary according to the variety or onion and conditions of
> storage.
> Onions planted or sown in August/September and grown overwinter tend not to
> store very long, possibly no longer than Christmas.
> If they were grown this season, then depending on variety, they could store
> through to next April or May.
> Some varieties store better than others so it really is difficult to say
> precisely how long they will store.
> 
> Regards
> Stephen
> 
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
> Stephen Griffiths,
> 34 Fernwood Crescent, London, N20 0RN. UK.
> e-mail:- stephen.griffiths@dial.pipex.com
> URL:- http://dspace.dial.pipex.com/town/close/xpz05
> <><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
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