Onions are a staple of Czech cuisine – whether as a base for soups, sauces or baked dishes. But for them to reliably last all winter, it is not enough to just harvest them. The key to long shelf life is proper collection, drying and storage. And that is exactly what we will look at step by step today.

🧅 When is the right time to harvest?
Wait to harvest until:

the stalk turns yellow and lies down,
the neck of the onion narrows and dries,
the onions can be easily pulled out of the ground.
Don’t harvest too early – unripe onions will store poorly, but don’t wait too long either. Overripe onions may take root again or start to soften.

🌤 How to harvest onions correctly?
Choose a dry day – ideally after a few days without rain.
Carefully dig or pull the onion out of the ground, do not throw it to avoid damaging the skins.
Gently tap the soil, but do not wash the onion with water!
Let it pre-dry directly on the bed (if it is not raining) for 1-2 days so that it dries from below.
🍂 Proper drying – the basis for long shelf life
After pre-drying on the bed, it is time for thorough drying, namely:

In an airy, shady and dry place – ideally a basement, veranda or shed.
Spread the onion in a single layer on a sieve, newspaper or wooden mat.
Drying takes 2-3 weeks – during this time the onion gradually ripens and gets rid of excess moisture.
Turn the onion regularly so that it dries evenly.
Finally, remove the roots and shorten the stem to 5–7 cm.
🧪 A little trick against rot
Want to make sure your onions don’t rot or sprout in the winter?

Try this proven trick:

Prepare a solution: add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 teaspoon of 5% iodine to 1 liter of water.
Dip the onion stem (neck) into the solution for a few seconds and let it dry.
This method disinfects and protects the onion from fungal diseases.
🧺 Where and how to store?
The right conditions = long shelf life:

A dry and cool place with a temperature between 0 and +5 °C.
Good ventilation is essential – wooden boxes, breathable nets or hanging baskets are ideal.
Don’t put onions with potatoes or apples – they release moisture and gases that shorten their shelf life.
✔ Summary:
✅ Harvest onions when they are really ripe.
✅ Dry them patiently in a shady and dry place.
✅ Use a solution of iodine and salt against rot.
✅ Store them smartly – cool, dry, airy!

Onions prepared in this way will easily last until spring – fragrant, hard and full of flavor. And every winter soup with them will taste like from the summer harvest! 🧅✨