How to dry onions for the winter: rules and 4 best ways to store at home

Bulbs of different varieties are grown in many household plots. Getting a good harvest is half the battle. The main thing is to keep it. Any summer resident needs to know how to dry fresh onions for the winter. After all, if you follow the instructions and recommendations of experienced gardeners, you can create a delicious spice. Home-made preparations are much better than store-bought ones, as they retain the taste and bitterness of natural vegetables.

Why dry onions for the winter

There are many benefits to home drying vegetables. Among them, gardeners distinguish:

1. In storage, dried bulbs do not require the same amount of trouble from the hostess as fresh ones.
2. Delicious dried onions can be added to any dish for a nice spicy taste.
3. The volume of turnips is decreasing, which means that a smaller room will be required to store them.

Features of onion drying

Each type of onion has its own characteristics. They are important to consider when drying vegetables. If you do not follow the recommendations based on the variety, the hostess will violate the cooking technology and ruin the harvest.

Sevka

Sevok is most often planted for long-term storage of heads. To dry the onion, you must follow the algorithm:

1. Ripened sevok needs to be sorted out, removing rumpled or rotten vegetables.
2. Selected vegetables must be laid out on the street, in an area where there is a lot of sunlight.
3. If the weather does not allow drying onions outside, prepare a space in a well-ventilated area. Having laid out old papers or cardboard on the floor, you need to evenly distribute the sets over them. Do not use newspapers or magazines to dry as paint and ink are poisonous.
4. Regular drying with stirring for a month will give an excellent result.

Onion

The process of drying onions takes half the time. Step by step instructions:

1. When the bulbs are fully ripe, you need to leave them for 2-3 days in the beds.
2. After harvesting the turnips, it is necessary to dry them for 2 weeks in a dark room with good ventilation and a temperature above 24 degrees Celsius.

Blackies

If you properly dry the nigella, which is most often used for planting next year, you can get a bountiful harvest. For this you need:

1. The next day after collecting and cleaning from the ground, spread out on the floor in a room where the temperature is slightly higher than room temperature.
2. During the second week, drying is carried out in a room where the temperature reaches 27 ° C-28 ° C.
3. Third and final week - drying in a room where the temperature exceeds 35°C.

Green onions

To dry green onions, just wash and cut the feathers, and then evenly distribute them on a flat surface.

For 4-6 days constantly turn the slices to achieve results.

Selection and preparation of products

Before you start the drying process, it is recommended to get rid of:

• bulbs damaged at harvest;
• rotten turnips;
• vegetables with uneven skins;
• broken or spotted bulbs;
• Infested or insect-damaged turnips.

Before drying, peel the bulbs and cut them into rings.

Ways to dry onions at home

Thanks to modern appliances, there are many options for how and where to dry onions. However, do not forget about the traditional ways, time-tested.

Outdoor

To dry the harvest on the street, you need to be sure of the weather. If, according to forecasts, no rain is expected in the coming days, then you can start the preparation process in the backyard. For this, a flat place with enough sunlight during the day is suitable.

In this area, it is necessary to level the dry land or lay out pre-prepared straw bedding.

For drying, any surface that is not capable of accumulating moisture will do.

In the electric dryer

The electric dryer is the ideal unit for fast processing of vegetables. At the same time, the useful qualities of the onion will not be lost, and the taste will be no less rich and open. It will take 7.5-8 hours to dry the turnips. Set the device to a temperature of at least 60 degrees Celsius. Sliced rings are laid inside, and after cooking they are placed in cloth or paper bags.

In the oven

This method is similar to electric drying. Onion rings spread on a baking sheet, greased with a small amount of vegetable oil. 3 hours at 80 degrees is enough to dry vegetables.

In airfryer

Airfryer is a great way to quickly dry onion rings. It is enough to spread them evenly on the wire rack and turn every 3 minutes. After 40 minutes, the pieces will be ready.

Signs of a well dried bulb

The correctness of drying is determined by the husk. If the skin of the bulbs gradually dries up and begins to rustle, then the right conditions for drying have been chosen. If too much husk remains on the territory, it is recommended to lower the temperature in the room.

Terms and conditions of storage

Dried onion is ready if it emits a slight spicy smell, and the layers of husks have moved away and risen. This will happen after 2-4 weeks or in a day, depending on the method and conditions.

Possible problems

Each of the drying methods has its drawbacks. To get a tasty product, you should beware of the following difficulties:

1. If it started to rain while drying the turnips, it is necessary to increase the onion preparation time by 4-5 days.
2. If pests that spoil the bulbs are found, you need to find the most affected vegetables, and process the rest. The drying time is doubled.

Drying onions for the winter is an activity that does not require a lot of time and special skills from the hostess. However, only with diligence and the desire to make high-quality harvesting will it be possible to create a delicious spice that will retain its properties for a long time.

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