marigold
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Harvesting shallots - advice pleaseThis is the first time I've grown shallots (Red Sun) and I'm not sure when to lift them. The destructions say harvest in July when the leaves have yellowed. The foliage is beginning to flop and has yellowed a bit and the bulbs are enormous - much bigger than shop-bought shallots. We've got no rain forecast until Sunday, so I was wondering if I should dig them out now and leave them to dry or leave them until the leaves are completely yellow? How long do they need to dry before storing?
My gut feeling is to dig them up now, but I'd like a bit of reassurance!
Cheers.
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tahir
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How long do you need to store them for?
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marigold
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| tahir wrote: | | How long do you need to store them for? |
Until I've eaten them all   .
There aren't that many - maybe 2-3 months, given that I don't use oniony stuff much, but as long as possible really.
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Treacodactyl
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I think there's rain forecast for tomorrow morning for the whole South East. We don't grow many onions or shallots so we start using them about now and lift the remaining ones when the foliage is very dry and use them up quite quickly. Not much help really.
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tahir
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[quote="marigold"There aren't that many - maybe 2-3 months, given that I don't use oniony stuff much, but as long as possible really.[/quote]
Swot I thought, the longer you need to store them the better you need to dry them. I usually start using sometime in early June and then pull the rest as late as I can.
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marigold
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Thanks - I'll start using them now and lift the rest later.
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wellington womble
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The folliage on mine is going flat, but that's because I fell over the fence into them 
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marigold
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Sorry ww, but . Hope you didn't hurt yourself!
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judith
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to WW too!
I freeze a lot of shallots too. I have a big peeling session, open-freeze them whole then it's over and done for the year. I can then just grab a few from the freezer for putting into stews whenever I remember that they are in there.
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Andy B
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| judith wrote: | to WW too!
I freeze a lot of shallots too. I have a big peeling session, open-freeze them whole then it's over and done for the year. I can then just grab a few from the freezer for putting into stews whenever I remember that they are in there. |
Never thought to freeze them!
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judith
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They lose their crispness, so you couldn't use them raw or chop them easily, but used whole in stews they are great.
Takes forever to peel a whole bagful though!
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wellington womble
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They are also to die for pickled in either cider, wine or cheap balasmic and white vinegar. With chilli and sugar and coriander seed. Yum.
I didn't hurt myself, I was just cross about the shallots. My bruises go away without taking up half a bed in the garden for six months!
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alice
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There's a couple of things I'm eternally grateful to Delia for - one of them is her recipe for Pickled Shallots in Sherry Vinegar.
It's my benchmark pickled onion 
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