It can be tempting to simply throw all your vegetables on the bottom shelf of your fridge when unpacking your shopping, but this is one of the worst places to store onions and garlic.
Onions and garlic will go mushy when stored in the fridge as the conditions will be too cold and humid. causing the vegetables to become too soft or even become mouldy if they absorb too much moisture.
For best results, onions and garlic should be kept in a cool, dark and well-ventilated area of the kitchen, where they will last between three to six months. However, it is not as easy as simply throwing them in a cupboard as they still need to be stored properly.
Monica Matheny a cooking expert and founder of The Yummy Life shared she was having trouble keeping her onions and garlic fresh despite placing them in a kitchen drawer, and they were becoming “rotten, moldy, or sprouting” before their time.
However, Monica has shared that her mother showed her a family tip for keeping produce fresh. She wrote: “A few months ago, my mom (aka Grammy) came to the rescue. Last time I was visiting her, she showed me how she’d started storing her onions, garlic, and shallots.
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Monica continued: “She raved about how putting them in a regular ol’ paper bag that’s been punched with holes can extend their life for months. Honestly? I was sceptical. But, my mom had seldom never been wrong before, so I decided to give it a try.
“Lesson learned: always listen to your mother. Apparently, the punched paper bags allow just enough air circulation to preserve these veggies for an extended period of time. Who knew?”
To store onions and garlic properly, you will need a brown paper bag, a hole puncher, a marker and paper clips. Make sure your onions and garlic are firm and blemish-free as they are more likely to be fresher.
To begin, fold the paper bag and punch holes along the edge. Monica wrote: “This is how Grammy showed me to do it (and remember that she is never wrong).
“Fold the bag in half lengthwise, punch along one edge; you’ll be punching through multiple layers.
“Flip the folded bag over and punch along the other edge; approximately one inch between punches (but it doesn’t have to be perfect).”
Fill the bag halfway with your onions and onions. Label it with the marker and then use paper clips on the top to hold it in place.
Monica wrote: “How easy is that? I use more yellow onions than anything else and buy them in bigger quantities; so I have more than one punched bag to hold them all. The bags can be reused again and again until they wear out.”
When storing your onions and garlic, make sure they are kept in a dark and cool place that is not overcrowded as they will need plenty of air circulation.
Monica wrote: “Air needs to circulate around the bags–that’s the whole point of punching the holes.”
“This punched paper bag method should extend the life of onions, garlic, and shallots in most situations. However, their specific life may vary depending on the temperature, humidity, and light conditions where the bags are stored.”
Do not store onions or garlic next to potatoes, as spuds produce ethylene, a growing hormone which causes vegetables to ripen faster which both garlic and onions are sensitive to.
Monica wrote: “Potatoes and onions should not be stored together. They give off gases that will accelerate spoilage of each other.”
If the paper bag method is followed, onions and garlic will last for months according to the experts at Stop Food Waste.
They wrote: “Onions and garlic can last up to three to six months when stored properly.
“Keep onions and garlic in a basket or paper bag where air can circulate. Store in a cool, dark place for up to three to six months. Never keep these items in sealed plastic as it will quickly cause spoilage.”
