An Introduction On The Importance Of Knowing How To Harvest Onions
Onions are one of the most widely used and ubiquitous vegetables on the planet, knowing how to harvest onions properly will let you in on this huge market that spans centuries. There are two different kinds of globe onions – pungent and mild – and they each contain different potentials for bringing out the very best in the foods they are placed with or cooked in.How To Harvest Onions Of The Pungent Variety
Pungent onions are by far the most popular. They are the kind that you most often see when you go to the grocery store or when you order a nice juicy burger. It helps that they're bright and hard to miss. It also helps that they're incredibly juicy.They don't have to be cooked to be delicious and they can be used in almost any meal imaginable. Onions help make the culinary world go round. Pungent ones especially. They even come equipped with a strong skin and multiple layers of resistance that can allow them to be stored in the right conditions for close to a year.
Pungent onions aren't too big and part of the reason why they are called "pungent" is because of their taste and because of the much stronger smell and the fact that they chemicals that can burn your eyes and make you cry. All of those things you've heard about onions and crying? They were all caused by pungent onions.
Harvesting
Shockingly enough, all globe onions are harvested the exact same way. This makes it easy to grow a wide variety of them, especially pungent ones which can be picked at any time and eaten completely raw. Because all of the globe onions are harvested the same way we will save space and time by taking a look at the other kind of globe onion before going over how to harvest onions of both varieties.
How To Harvest Onions Of The Mild Type
Mild onions are called mild not because they lack flavor or because they are not spicy. They have been given the name mild because of how they taste in comparison to pungent onions which are juicier and stronger.They go by many more names than just mild though and each of those offers an insight into the different qualities this kind of onions. The other two popular names are "fresh" and "sweet."
Mild onions are called sweet onions because they are often caramelized or put into salsas. When they are cooked in these different ways they can often exude a slightly sweet flavor that can make a dish taste absolutely delectable.
They are called fresh as well because unlike pungent onions, which are more commonly known as storage onions, mild onions do not have incredible storage capabilities. In perfect conditions they can usually only last between one or two months. Because they must be consumed so quickly, they end up seeming fresher in comparison to the storage onions that can be left alone for months and months without any problems.
Careful! Harvesting that onion before it is completely ready will reduce their flavor. Make sure you know all of the telltale signs of an onion that is ready to be picked.
Harvesting - The Process
Figuring Out When The Best Time To Harvest Is
Knowing how to harvest onions requires that you know when to harvest them. Prior to pulling the onion from the dirt it is important that you first look to see whether it has completed its growing cycle or not.Luckily it is not very difficult to tell because onions are not subtle vegetables at all. You will know that the time is right when the leaves of the onion become discolored. The leaves will also lose their vigor and begin to succumb to gravity, resulting in weak flaccid leaves.
Contrary to popular belief, this is a good thing! This is Mother Nature telling you that the process is over. The leaves die because they can no longer contribute any more energy to the onion because it has reached the peak of its growth. So open your eyes and listen to the sweet hints that nature throws at you, this will let you master the art of knowing how to harvest onion even faster!
Getting The Harvest Ready
Every onion will finish its growth at slightly different times. You could go out and pick each onion individually as soon as it's ready but that is extremely inefficient. The best way to go about it is simply to wait till most, around eighty-five percent, of the onions have finished growing and then to go out and manually kill the tops that refuse to bend down. At this point you should still leave the onions on the ground! Do not get trigger happy with harvesting! Learn how to harvest onions correctly and patiently.Leave the onions there with their flaccid tops for a little under two weeks so that they get a chance to mature as much as they possibly can. However, try not to give them too much time in the ground because after long enough they will become pray to other creatures which will spoil the onions.
Onions that have been invaded by organisms will spoil eventually and cannot be kept for very long. Another danger is the fact that the onions can continue to grow and past a certain point that can actually be a bad thing.
Important! Do not leave your onions maturing for way too long, this is a surefire way to spoil them. Keep track of how long you've left them out and check them each day to see how they are doing.
Pulling The Onions
As soon as your onions are mature enough they will be ready to be picked! Don't get too excited though, there is still a little more that you have to do before completing the harvest. It is best to choose a day that is hot and there is a lot of sunshine. You want your onions to dry as soon as possible.In colder climates where the sun might be weaker or cloudy, you should leave the onions out for 24 hours and check on them periodically to see if they are dry enough. In hot climates closer to the equator this drying process can take mere hours.
Drying the onions is crucial to knowing how to harvest onions because the roots extending from the head of the onion (much like hair) need to be killed. You will know when they are dead because the hair will cease to contain any moisture and will be easy to break off.
Be smart about when you decide to harvest! Waiting for a day with a lot of sun is good but if it rained the night before then it will counteract the point of taking them out on a sunny day.
| Steps | What to do | Signs |
|---|---|---|
| First step | Figure out the best time to harvest | Leaves at the top of onion will succumb to gravity and die |
| Second step | Getting your harvest ready | Vast majority of your onions' leaves have died, you have waited less than two weeks after leaves died |
| Third step | Harvest your onions! | You can now take your onions out of the ground after waiting the appropriate amount. |
| Fourth Step | Dry what you harvested | When you pull out onions you will see that they are moist. The roots have to become hard and easy to break off |
Quiz Time: How do you like your onions?
- Caramelized
- Grilled
- Raw
Please post your answers in comment box
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