My son got me 50 lbs bag of red onions for fathers day. Any suggestions ?

[LPBeier]

Frozen onions (red, white, yellow, it doesn't matter) are good for putting into something like a soup or a stew. We used to cut them into medium sized squares for our soup we made for the homeless.

They thaw a little mushy and transparent so are not best for raw uses like salads.

At least that is my experience anyway.

If you have a cool dry place (where rodents can't get in) you can keep them for a long time.

[Caslon]

Originally Posted by LPBeier

They thaw a little mushy and transparent so are not best for raw uses like salads.

At least that is my experience anyway.

My experience. Onions do NOT freeze well (when thawed). Bell peppers of all colors freeze and thaw well (kabobs).

[larry_stewart]

Luckily, with so many onions, Ill probably try most of the above.
Ive frozen in the past for soups and stuff
Ive made caramelized onions in the past, but never really thought of freezing them, since I just made enough for what I needed at the time.
The Pickled red onions sounds really good. ill definitely give that a go.
Also, dehydrating them and making onion powder Ive never tried either. curious to see how that goes.
Definitely onion soup will be on next weeks menu

Also gonna test out the root cellar and see how it does in the summer. Did great during the winter with potatoes and onions ( kept from freezing). Ill experiment with these store bought onions ( just a few) to see how they hold up.

Love onions on the grill
Never whole roasted, but Ill give that a go too.

Oh did I mention that I have about 300 onions in the garden as well. Probably won't be pickable for another month or so. Good thing I like onions.

Thanks everyone,

Keep them coming.

[PrincessFiona60]

Maybe you just liked the thought of the large bag for all the onions you had at home...

[Snip 13]

One can never have too many onions.

[larry_stewart]

Originally Posted by PrincessFiona60

Maybe you just liked the thought of the large bag for all the onions you had at home...

Believe it or not, that didn't even cross my mind, but what a great idea!!, Thanks.

Originally Posted by Snip 13

One can never have too many onions.

That is something I will find out this year, but thats a good thing. Forcing me to be creative. My problem is the company I get the onions from ( who are very reliable and sell good quality), only sell the onions in sets of 60. No mixing and matching, so for each variety I want, thats another 60 onions to plant. I obviously got 5 varieties, which brings me up to 300. None of my friends start their garden as early as i do, so although I intend to share them with others, Im kinda forced to plant them all myself, which I don't mind at all. And thats what puts me in the dilemma I am in now. Onions up to my neck!!!.

[Addie]

Onions up to your neck? Oh you lucky guy. I want to plant a large plot of garlic. Caramel onions with a whole globe of sliced garlic.

[GA Home Cook]

Easy way to make caramelized onion. 1. Crock pot 2. crock pot liner (a must)3. Cut up onions and put in pot 4. Move pot outside ( ask me how I know this) 5. Low all day. portion into ice cube tray and freeze.


Second thing - panty hose. onion in, tie knot, onion in, tie knot. hang up in pantry and cut off when you want. they last for a long time that way.

[blissful]

Instead of buying sets of onions, you can, if you like, buy fresh seed (must be only in first year or it won't germinate), fill a flat with dirt, sprinkle the seeds in February, water, and you'll have about half of them germinate. They will be ready for planting the end of May. I plant about 300 seeds per flat, end up getting about 175 onion seedlings.

Garlic, plant it in October/November, harvest in July, if you live in a place that has cold winters.

[CharlieD]

Originally Posted by medtran49

Big batch of French onion soup and freeze...

Maybe it just me, but freezing french onion soup did not work for me. When defrosted the onions were slimy.

[Mad Cook]

Originally Posted by larry_stewart

My family always says Im the most difficult person to buy a gift for. I don't believe that. Im a simple person with many hobbies. Anyway, the other day my son and I were at a local farmers market where we saw large bags of veggies ( onions, potatoes, corn ....). So, I mentioned to him that I'd love to get one of those big bags of Onions.

So, to my surprise, he presented me with this as a gift for fathers day.

Now, I have to figure out what to do with so many onions.

Any suggestions ??

Throwing them at him?

Seriously they can be peeled, choped o sliced and frozen. Onion soup to freeze in manageable portions. Onion sauce for pouring on veg, to eat with a roast with a roast. If your weather conditions are suitable you could store them by putting them in an old pair of tights (panty-hose) with a knot between each onion so they don't touch each other and hang them in the garage or garden shed for keeping - just cut one off below the knot above when you need it.

[bethzaring]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Kayelle View Post
Slice them thin on a mandolin, and stuff them into a crockpot. Plug in the crockpot *OUTDOORS and let it rip till you have caramelized onions. As I recall it took about 14 hrs.
*the smell in the house is too much to take after several hours.

Originally Posted by taxlady

I was going to suggest Bolas's onion goop, but you beat me to it.

+1 and +2

Last year I caramelized 70 pounds of sweet onions and it was the best garden experiment I have ever accomplished. I was able to get 10 pounds of shredded onions in a 6 quart crock pot at a time. Add a bit of butter, and cook for about 10 hours. I did this in the house and loved it. Now next time I will move the dehydrating garlic outdoors......

I planted 600 onions plants this year so I can make more to freeze.

Here's my onion bed today..