Once the tops of the onions start flopping over and turning yellow, you know it’s time. That usually happens sometime in August or September, depending on when they went in the ground and what the weather’s been like. You can spot it from a distance in the field: rows that used to stand upright suddenly go limp, and the bulbs sit half out of the soil, catching the sun.

Digging up onions is less work than it sounds. Most of the time you don’t even need to dig—give them a gentle pull and they come loose, as long as the ground isn’t baked too hard. The trickier part is what comes after: drying them properly, because an onion that goes into storage still damp will rot sooner or later.

How do you know they’re ready?

A few things to look for:

  • The tops have flopped over and turned yellow to brown
  • The top of the bulb is poking up above the soil
  • It’s been dry for the last few days
  • The grower says it’s fine to pull—some varieties are left in the ground longer than others

You can also harvest them earlier as spring onions or scallions, when they’re thinner and milder, but that’s a different crop from the storage onions this article is about.

Digging and drying

  • Pull the onions gently out of the ground, or loosen the soil with a fork first if it’s stiff
  • Knock off the loose dirt, but don’t wash them
  • Leave them in the sun for a few days to dry, tops still attached, as long as rain isn’t forecast
  • If it’s wet out: lay them indoors on a rack or old shelf somewhere with airflow
  • Only trim the tops once the outer skin feels fully papery and dry (leave a couple of centimeters of neck)

A well-dried onion feels light for its size and the skin rustles when you squeeze it.

Storing them

Properly dried onions keep for months in a cool, dark, dry spot. A few things that help:

  • Skip the sealed plastic bag—they need airflow or they’ll go moldy
  • A mesh bag, an old stocking, or just loose in a crate works fine
  • Keep them away from potatoes, which give off moisture onions don’t like
  • Check now and then for soft spots and pull those out before they spread

What to do with them

Onions go into almost everything, but here are a few dishes where they’re actually the main event:

Fried onion rings Slice a large onion into rings, dredge in flour, then beaten egg, then breadcrumbs. Fry in plenty of oil until golden. Salt them the second they come out of the pan.

French onion soup Slice about a kilo of onions into half-rings and cook them very slowly in butter, at least 45 minutes, until they turn deep brown and sweet—don’t rush this part, it’s the whole secret to the soup. Deglaze with a splash of white wine, add stock, and let it simmer another 20 minutes. Serve with a slice of bread and cheese melted on top under the grill.

Whole roasted onion Onions in their skins, straight in the oven at 400°F, roughly 45 minutes to an hour, until they collapse on their own. Cut open, add a knob of butter, salt and pepper. About as simple as it gets.

Quick pickled onions Thin-sliced red onion, a few minutes in boiling water with vinegar, sugar and salt, then cooled. Keeps in the fridge for weeks and goes well with pretty much anything that came out of a deep fryer.

Where to pick your own onions this week

Onions aren’t the most exciting crop at a u-pick farm, but they’re one of the most useful—a well-dried batch will last you the whole winter, and you’re probably using them almost every day anyway. Grab a bag or two while you’re there for something else, you’ll get through them.