The very small that were the size of golfball were taken inside for salads.
Curing Onions
This year has definitely not been good for my onions. I planted 3 varieties - Red Cabernet, Spanish Yellow for storage and Wala sweet onions - 75 plants each variety. I don't know if it was bad compacted soil, planted too deep, or too hot too fast and not enough water, or all of the above factors, but the results are definitely not as I hoped for. They didn't start bulbing for a very long time and then the heatwave came in and they all fell. Only few were semi-decent size but the rest are very small. Either way they'll end up being used. I'll keep yellow for winter and start cooking with red and whites. This week they were pulled out and were using my fence to hang and dry for couple of days.
Then they were moved to a dark and dry location to continue curing process and will be drying out for at least 4 more weeks. I left most of the whites to stay in the ground for a bit longer as they seem to be still with enough greens to grow but will be pulling them for meals as needed. Let's hope next year will be better.
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Well it's not what you hoped for but they look good to me. I have never had any luck with onions. I didn't even try this year... but I will torture myself again next season ;-)
ReplyDeleteI actually haven't had any issues with onions in the past so this year is puzzling to me. better luck next year to you too!
DeleteYour onions look better then mine this year. Mine are horribly small. It must have been this crazy weather.
ReplyDeleteThese are very small too. Many plants withered and died without forming a bulb at all.
DeleteThat happened to me too.
DeleteMine are really small too but the tops haven't fallen over yet. Hopefully next year will be better. At least onions can be eaten at any stage.
ReplyDeleteThat's true, I used greens as well as bulbs.
DeleteI am having mixed results this year, but last year was a horrible onion year for me, so I am not complaining. Even the very small onions are very good to cook with - just more trouble to peel and use due to their size.
ReplyDeleteI like using small onions in stock - just peel and cook whole :)
DeleteI'm almost out of my spring harvested onions already.. mine were small too. Definitely need to plant more this fall. It seems the heat was too much for them this spring.
ReplyDeleteLooks like most areas were like that.
DeleteI think those are pretty pictures of your onions hanging to dry! My first year growing onions! Nancy
ReplyDeleteI hope your harvest is better than mine then.
DeleteIt was a bad year here too for onions. Yours definitely look better than ours! But they will all be used.
ReplyDeleteOh I definitely intend to use everything no matter how small it is.
DeleteWe are having a terrible year with our onions as well. I think it was the early heat that did us in. Last year we had over 70 pounds, this year we will be lucky to have half that with the same amount of plants. They just aren't bulbing up!!
ReplyDeleteI haven't weighted them yet but the size is definitely no where near where it should be.
DeleteI have never grown onions as nice as yours!
ReplyDeleteI hope your next onion harvest is better than this because it was very disapointing for me.
DeleteWow Jenny, that's a lot of onions. We planted 3 varieties too. New York, Aussie brown and an Italian variety. I can't remember the name. But we only planted 30 plants of each variety. Like you, they've not done well. The Aussie brown did not bulk up and the other varieties were hit and miss. We really tried hard this year, and it didn't work out so well. Hopefully, next year will be better for everyone. Hey, at least you've got something! They'll be good for a while.
ReplyDeleteIt's really not alot of onions as we'll be using many in tomato sauces like marinara, in canning chilli and salsa. We use them daily so next year I will have to double the amount planted to keep it for full year supply. What we have here will probably run out by new year.
DeleteI don't know why, but pictures of onions drying/curing makes me happy. Isn't that weird? lol Anyway, love your pics.
ReplyDeletethank you Lisa, they make me happy too.
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