How to Braid Onions for Storage

With our short and unpredictable growing season, each year's vegetable garden is different in terms of abundance. One crop usually shines over another. For me this year it was the onions. Plentiful, large, and sweet, our onions were the pride of this summer's vegetable garden.  What better way to show them off than with braiding.

Not only would they look attractive hanging from the baker's rack, braiding would be a utilitarian storage method as well. 

I started with 13 onions and laid them out on a table. 

I sorted them according to size and picked 3 onion bulbs to begin braiding. This is where I goofed up. I did not start with my largest onions on the bottom (If you try this, remember to pick the largest and work down to the smallest), nor did I wrap the leaves from the right onion bulb (picture 1) up and around the other bulbs to form a knot that would secure the braid. 

With my onions laid out, I began braiding as if fashioning a plait in my daughters' hair (picture 2). This wasn't so simple because my onion leaves were quite dry and kept coming undone. I had to braid and re-braid, 2 or 3 times. I continued adding (perhaps I should say fiddled with) onions to the braid (pictures 3 and 4) until all of my onions were used.

The result was a bunch of pretty, but poorly braided onion bulbs as shown in the photo below. With the braiding complete, it was time to lift the bunch of onions and see my handiwork.

With just a gentle lift, I could feel the heaviness of the bunch. Would the braid be secure enough to hold the weight of the onions? I didn't have much confidence that it would.

One onion, then another, fell to the floor. Oh no! The beautiful onions that my family and I had so carefully tended all summer could be bruised. 

I left the fallen onions aside and called my daughter to assist me in holding the braided onions while I took a picture.

Again, the bunch was heavy and she asked me to be quick, so as to prevent further onions from falling from the braid.

I decided that braided onions are not the best way for me to store them. 

Perhaps this idea didn't work for me because the leaves on my onions were too dry and therefore didn't braid well. Or maybe the size and weight of my onions were not conducive to braiding and storing in vertical fashion.

Whatever the reason, I decided our home-grown onions are too valuable to risk damage by hanging. I am sticking to storing them in a cool, dry place lying flat in a box. 

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Tip: Try braiding your onions before drying them out while the leaves are still green. Use sisal twine for tying off the top of the bunch for hanging. Hang in a cool place.