Is That an Onion in Your Pocket?
Yesterday I was working on my computer and Mr Chiots came over to look at something and said, “Do you smell something?”.
I said, “Not really”. But a little later I started noticing an “oniony” smell and was wondering where it was coming from. Then I remembered I had an onion in my pocket.
Earlier that day, I was out working in the garden and I found a small onion while cleaning out one of the vegetables beds. I put it in my pocket and kept working and completely forgot it was there until it revealed itself. I’ve done this before, on occasion I’ll put on a pair of jeans or a sweatshirt, stick my hand in the pocket and find some seeds or some wilted herbs.
Have you ever found anything interesting in your pocket?
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September 2009 Harvest Totals
September is the month when things start slowing down here in Ohio. We had scattered frost the last week of September, which is a few weeks earlier than usual. The weather has been very cold and very cloudy and dark, which significantly slowed down the harvests from the garden.
I harvested my onions, which was very disappointing. For some reason onions do not do well in my soil, I don’t know if it’s the acidity or the lack of sunlight in my fairly shady gardens. I’ll be growing the majority of my onions at my mom’s house next year and I’ll experiment with a few new locations here with more sun.
I didn’t get around to planting any lettuce in late Aug/early Sept as I wanted, so I don’t have any lettuce from the garden at the moment. I also got my fall cabbage & broccoli started a little too late, that coupled with the early cold weather will mean I will not be harvesting much from my fall garden. I do have spinach, chard and mache in one bed that will be ready for early spring harvests next year.
The longer I garden the better I’ll be at planting things at the right times to ensure better fall harvests. I should have a decent October harvest with all the squash and popcorn and hopefully I’ll be harvesting lettuce and other green towards the end of the month. I was also able to can/freeze/dry a lot of food for this winter not just from my garden but local food from the farmer’s market as well.
In September I was able to harvest:
44 lbs of tomatoes that were canned in chunks for winter sauces & soups
40 lbs of pears from my mom’s tree
43 lbs of pumpkins & squash that will be made into pies and other goodies
5 lbs of small onions that will be used up this winter in all kinds of dishes
4 lbs of green beans that were steamed, drizzled with olive oil and enjoyed
3 lbs of melons
2 lbs of crabapples that were used to thicken my elderberry syrup
2 lbs of peppers, mostly cayenne that were dried to spice up soups & sauces
2 lbs of celery that was used in chicken soup when I was sick and other dishes
.5 lbs of garlic that I found in the garage that was actually harvested in July but somehow got misplaced
Lots and lots of herbs that have been dried and stored for sipping in teas or spicing up dishes
Despite all the setbacks, it was still a satisfying September. I’d rather be harvesting a little from the garden than nothing at all, and I guess I keep track so that I realize at the end of the month that harvesting 142 lbs of food from my garden means that it wasn’t such a bad month after all. Besides, there are still tomatoes that are ripening on the vines and that makes me happy.
What were your September harvests like? Any standout producers?
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Starting Onions from Seed
I have always had much better luck starting my onions from seed than growing them from sets. Last year, my red onions from seed grew much larger and stored much better than my yellow onions from sets. Many of my set onions failed to do anything at all. Because they do much better and you can get a much great variety, I decided I wanted to grow all of my onions from seed this year. Onions are easy to start from seed, and since you start them 8-10 weeks before frost they’re a great way to cure that gardening itch you get in January.
This year I started 2 flats of red onions in late January and I started 4 flats of onions the day before yesterday (they’re a little late but they should do alright). Everyone has their own method for starting seeds, this is how I do it.
First I start with some soilless mix that I mix up myself and an empty seed flat (I reuse mine from year to year making sure to wash them well between uses). I usually mix some Dr Earth Starter Fertilizer in my starting mix and this has given me great luck with my seedlings.
Soilless mix is often dry and if it contains peat moss it doesn’t moisten evenly unless you use warm water. So usually I warm some water to moisten the trays, I let it cool before I add the seeds.
I sow a few seeds per cell in my flat and then I dust lightly with some more seed starting mix and then mist lightly with water to moisten the top. Then on the covers go waiting for the seeds to germinate. Some seeds like it warm, and onions are one of those, I use an electric blanket on low wrapped around the other flats to warm them (make sure you use plastic so you don’t get your electric blanket wet). Keep an eye out for germinating seeds and then under the grow light they go.
These are both heirloom onions that I got from Baker’s Seeds, I chose them for their keeping abilities. I’m also planting the rest of my Burpee Red Delicious Hybrid seeds for my red onions this year (those are pictured already sprouted above).
Jaune Paille Des Vertus (onion) – Introduced about 1793, this old onion is now hard to find. It is also called Brown Spanish by French seed house Vilmorin; in 1885 they said, “The winter supply of Paris and of a great part of Europe consists chiefly of this variety, which may be often seen hanging up in dwelling-houses in long hanks formed by interlacing and plaiting the withered leaves together.” The roots are flattened and 3″-4″ across, the skin is a brownish yellow and the flesh is flavorful. This antique is known for its keeping qualities that made it a standard in Europe for over 200 years.
Yellow of Parma (onion) – Long-day type–Large, golden onions are oblong-globe shaped. This late onion makes an excellent keeper; a rare and hard-to-find Italian variety.
I’ll keep you posted on how these onions do. I’m looking forward to enjoying these all next winter in my soups and stews.
Do you start onions from seed or you do you prefer sets? Or do you prefer buying them in the supermarket?
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Sunbathing: Curing Onions
I harvested all of my onions. They aren’t very big, that seems to be the theme of my vegetables this year. Oh well, we’ll call them shallots (more hoity-toity). This year I started red onions from seeds (they did the best, the biggest nicest onions). I also started yellow onions from sets. They’re all pretty small, I’m wondering if I can save some for sets next year?
So how do you know when to pick your onions? When the tops flop over, simple as that. When you notice they’ve flopped leave them in the ground for about 10 days. Then pull them and leave them in the sun for a day or two. Next, move them to a sheltered spot for a week or two to finish drying (turn them once a day to make sure all parts dry). Make sure you give them room to breath, I dry mine on my compost sifter in the garage, works perfectly. When they’re fully dry, pick out any thick-necked or soft bulbs and use them first. They are ready to store when the skins rattle and the roots are dry and wiry.
Anyone else have onion curing tips?
