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What to do with bunching onions.

8 years ago

I grow these every winter for green onions. But this year we didn't begin to use them all. I hate to throw them away. Is there a way to preserve them? Chop and freeze???

Featured Answer

calliope

7 years ago

Last summer I dehydrated them for the first time. I'll do it again because it was so handy to keep the container of dried, chopped onions to put in soups, meatloafs, sauces. I ran out of them a month ago, and thankfully won't be too long before the garden spits out more. The dehydrating experiment was so successful, I planted more onions this year.

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Comments (8)

digdirt2
8 years ago
Yes you can chop and freeze them but they will be good for cooking only as they will be mushy when thawed. Make a good pizza topping.

You can also chop and dehydrate them. Or if you do any canning they can be used in canning recipes as a sub for regular onions.

Dave
pqtex
7 years ago
I just did this with my multiplying onions recently. I chopped them up as green onions and packed them into 4 oz canning jars for the freezer. I wasn't sure how they would do, but when I needed them for soups and casseroles, they worked perfectly. As Dave said, they will be too mushy to use the same as fresh, but freezing them certainly extended my harvest!
Related Discussions
What do I do with bunching onions?
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Comments (2)
Well, the traditional use of bunching onions is raw as part of a crudite platter, usually with a ranch or bleu cheese dip. Also used in restaurants and by caterers as garnish, and often used in Asian cooking in lieu of regular onions. Some of the Asian varieties like "Evergreen White Nebuka" or "Tokyo Long White" or "Ishikura" will perennialize here in Michigan, and can be harvested for early green onions and again in the fall. In my experience, the multiplier type onions are similar, but develop a larger bulb, although not large like a true bulbing onion. Both kinds can be fairly mild as a spring scallion, but get pretty hot later in the season. You can certainly use them for cooking as a substitute for other onions. The main difference between the European and Asian type bunching onions is that the Europeans eventually go on to develop a true bulb, whereas the Asian types don't really bulb up much, but instead split and divide and grow more "scallions." They're pretty interchangeable, but no reason you can't have both kinds. Perhaps you'd like one kind more than the other.
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A lot of my bunching onions are bolting. . .
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Comments (3)
Hello, I am experiencing this problem with my bunching onions once again, right now! I found last year that the dividing type of bunching onion seems to split around the time it bolts. Does anyone know if this is in fact the case? Also, does anyone know if removing the flowering stalk will help or hinder the bolting process? I am still a bit confused about all of this, most info sources on onions group bunching onions together with bulbing onions, and only discuss bolting as it affects bulbing onions. I know that the flower stalks become tough and inedible, but if I recall correctly, the plant also splits around the time that bolting takes place. I just wonder if letting the bolting take place is better, or if cutting the bolting stalk down is better for splitting.
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Comments (3)
It is not very difficult. But the colder it is, the longer it will take. Also, left in cold ground , germination rate will be low. IMO, the best time to direct sow any allium seeds, is when your lows are in low 40s or higher. Another thing is to keep them moist. That means in dry sunny days you need to lightly water them everyday. If you happen to get a lot of rain, showers, that will be best.
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bunching onions
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Comments (6)
If the onions are a clump that split from a single planting, it would probably be best to separate them and space them out a bit. They are not too demanding in terms of sunlight or soil quality. Bunching onions pretty much do not bulb, and are eaten as scallions. You can make the stems (the white part of the stem) longer by heaping soil around them. The can be grown in early fall for Spring harvest, or in Spring for summer harvest. Many kinds will divide into multiple stems per planting, which can be separated and re-planted as described above. They are a pretty easy crop to grow in my experience... I have seen any pests attack mine, and they can survive pretty bad weather. In China I saw people growing some varieties in very shallow tubs just a few inches deep. Also, since you don't have to worry about them bulbing or whatever, you can just harvest them whenever you want to, although onions harvested in summer can get pretty spicy.
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Donna
Original Author
7 years ago
Love the idea of jars. Less odor.
pqtex
7 years ago
I try to use the straight sided canning jars for a lot of things in the freezer, both to avoid as much plastic as possible, plus it saves money on freezer bags! The 4-oz size is perfect for small things like the green onions, horseradish, lemon & orange zest, and other things that are products of what we grow, but don't use a large quantity at one time, or isn't feasible to can.
drmbear
7 years ago
One time I used a sweet relish recipe with green onions as the vegetable (instead of peppers or cucumbers). I chopped them up, measured them out by weight instead of by the cup, and followed the same recipe as I usually use with peppers. The stuff turned out great, had a nice oniony flavor, and was good in sandwiches, tuna salad, hot dogs, etc. It was a great relish.
Donna
Original Author
7 years ago
That's a great idea! I think I would love that. Thank you!
nancyofnc
7 years ago
I chop up my extras, lay them out on parchment covered cookie sheets and pop them into the freezer. When they are all frozen I put them in a Food Saver bag for the freezer. Whenever I need some I cut the bag, pour out just what I need, no sticking together, then use the Food Saver bag again and back into the freezer for the next time. I think glass jars take up too much space for a small amount like little 4oz sizes but in a quart jar they would take up less space, but, I prefer the plastic freezer bags because they are lightweight and space saving and I can line them up vertically in a shoe box in the freezer.

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