Harvesting Onions - 2017

We harvested some onions today.  As you can see in the center of the photo below there are onions in the center that are being taken over by sweet potato vines.  As the sweet potatoes are taking over the onion patch, it is okay, because the onions have signaled that they are ready to be harvested.

The way you know that it is time to harvest onions is that the tops of the onions will droop over.  As if to say, "I'm tired.  Pull me up."  So I oblige.  This is an indication that the onion's life cycle is nearing its end and no more energy will be devoted to growing the bulb.  About 20% of the onions had not fallen over, so I'm leaving them to grow for a while longer.  I'll keep my eye on them and will pull them as soon as they fall.  I want to give them a chance to grow to their full potential.

I began pulling onions and have to say that this year's crop is far better than last year's crop.  Most of the onions were larger, and although some were small, on average they were a nice size.  This is a Texas 1015 Sweet Onion I"m holding in my hand.

And this beauty right here is a Red Creole Onion.

I filled up our garden wagon with fresh-pulled onions and pulled them into the garage.

The wind was really blowing outside and it was perfect weather to start the onions drying/curing.  I want to maximize the air flow around the onions, so I got some old boards I salvaged from a chicken tractor that I'm in the process of demolishing, some roofing nails, and some hardware cloth, and I quickly constructed a drying rack and began to lay the onions on top.

Before long I had the drying rack built and all the 2017 onion harvest spread out to begin the drying process.  The onions smelled great and I can't wait to try them! But first we have to let them dry so that they will store.

After a day and a half, I got some clippers and clipped off the roots of each onion and then clipped off the onion tops, leaving about 3/4 of an inch of the onion tops.

I'll watch them closely while they dry as a sudden spike in humidity or rain could cause them to begin to get soft and rot.  If that starts to happen, I'll chop them up and freeze them.  I wasn't as prudent as I should have been during this same process a couple of years ago curing garlic and a lot of the garlic rotted.  I'll not make that mistake again.

In a couple of weeks the outer skin of the onions will dry and become like paper, as will the onion top itself.  At that point they'll be shelf-stable for a while and I'll put them in an onion sack and bring them inside.  I love to eat onions and can't wait to give these a try.  We'll definitely order these again next year.  If you are interested, I give two thumbs up to Dixondale Farms.  That's where I ordered my onion sets from.  You can learn more about Dixondale Farms by clicking HERE>