Harvesting & Storing Onions by Martha Smith

Onions are a versatile vegetable that are grown worldwide and are a delicious staple in many dishes, such as soups and stews, and a flavorful addition to meats and sandwiches.   Onions have been harvested in the wild for thousands of years by many indigenous peoples and are believed to have been cultivated as long as 5,000 years ago in China and India.   In ancient Egypt, they were so highly esteemed, they had religious significance. Proper selection, harvesting and storage of onions in the fall ensures that they will last well into the winter. In the cold dark days of winter, it is a treat to enjoy an onion from your own summer garden. Onions are categorized into two different types:   short-day varieties which produce bulbs when the day length reaches 10 to 12 hours and long-day varieties that don’t develop bulbs until days are 14 to 16 hours long.   Short-day varieties are higher in sugar content and are better suited to more southerly climates.   Generally speaking, longer-day var