Shallots - drying for storage/replanting

[DaisyDiamond]

I have just been rooting around the Vine but can't see an answer to my shallot questions?

I have pulled the first of my shallots and now need to dry them out for storage. When drying, should I remove all the stalks and cut them down so they are like the ones you buy in a supermarket or do I leave it all on?

Also having just read about using your own shallots to grow as next years sets I am wondering how I store some shallots to do this, and then when to replant them. This year's sets were planted at the end of March. Do I replants this year's in exactly the same way?

Thank you

[PAULW]

Hi Daisy
1 seems like a very short time between planting and harvest, one of the planting lore for shallots is in the shortest day out the longest day.
2 My shallots will be going in in Sept/Oct.
3Let them dry and the stem will snap off, dont save any that have gone to seed the seed stem will rot and may cause any laying next to them to rot also, plant your best eat the rest.

[Storming Norman]

This is a good question. It is my first year for a few shallots as I want to pickle them.

They were pulled last week and not knowing how to dry them I just tied them in bunches and hung them from the pergola [they are probably very wet right now as it has just bucketed down].

Will this do to dry them? How long does it take - assuming it stops raining sometime.

I grew these at home but the guy on the plot across the way at the allotment had onion white rot on a few of his shallots. What a nice guy eh? He brought them over to my plot and was dropping soil whilst he showed me what he had found. This is the same bloke who borrows any of your tools he fancies when you are not looking. Can I hang him from the pergola do you think?

Ta,

Ann

[Snadger]

You can 'string' them like onions or lay them out in a seed tray or something similar in the greenhouse to ripen. I know I keep saying this but it's true.......bigguns give you littleuns and vice versa!

[DaisyDiamond]

Hi Daisy
1 seems like a very short time between planting and harvest, one of the planting lore for shallots is in the shortest day out the longest day.

Oh! I am a bit of a novice and just followed the guidelines on the packet and in my book! They have split into about 6-8 shallots and the stalks are going yellow so I thought they were ready for pulling I'll try drying this lot and put them in earlier next year!

[jacob marley]

You do not PULL shallots well i put a fork under them and ease them out of the ground that's what i was taught when i was a young un .
Leave them on the ground for the wind and sun to dry them of if you can put them on some staging to let the wind blow under the better....jacob

[King Carrot]

You can 'string' them like onions or lay them out in a seed tray or something similar in the greenhouse to ripen. I know I keep saying this but it's true.......bigguns give you littleuns and vice versa!

Just about to put aside shallots for planting for next season - is the above statement correct for everyone who saves some of their crop for planting. I'd worry that if I saved small ones for planting I'd end up with mainly small ones forever - help please!

[binley100]

My shallots went in end of Feb when I bought them from good old wilko's. First time I'd grown them and had a fantastic harvest. Jars of jars of pickled ones and now a load of glazed ones residing in the freezer and still some left. Mine were laid out to dry in the blowaway with the door open.
Also I tried white and red ...the red ones grew bigger than the white ones.

[vicky]

Save the smallest to replant - they DO give you the best crop!
I'm drying mine in the garage as the rain doesn't seem to be stopping for long enough here...I leave all the roots and leaves on and then rub off the debris when they're dry.

[Bountyhunter]

My shallots went in end of Feb when I bought them from good old wilko's. First time I'd grown them and had a fantastic harvest. Jars of jars of pickled ones and now a load of glazed ones residing in the freezer and still some left. Mine were laid out to dry in the blowaway with the door open.
Also I tried white and red ...the red ones grew bigger than the white ones.

I got exactly the same ones! You can see mine in my blog below. I am amazed at how well they have done and its my first time too.

I left them in the ground until the sun near enough dried the stems to straw. If any were very loose i lifted those as well.

I left them under my extra area on staging to dry nicely and the skins went brown. I am going to plait them today and hang them in my garage. I will put some pics in my blog later.

I did the same with my Wilkos garlic. I ended up with shop sized clothes. They are lovely and dry now.

I see you got red and white onions too? Mine are huge! I said in my blog how the red are bigger, weird lol

Good old Wilkinsons

[Alison]

I dried mine on trays of newspaper in the conservatory and they're now hung up in tights in the garage to be eaten over the next year. I don't see much point in hanging them outside as although they will dry if it doesn't rain but that isn't really an option round here and it seems sensible to get them dry as quickly as possible rather than keep wetting and half drying. This years crop is totally from last years saved small shallots and there are lots of lovely big bulbs - rather too few small uns for replanting for next year though!

When you plant them does depend on the variety, these are ones that won't over winter and should be planted in spring (dug them up about 10 days ago but probably could have done it a week or so earlier really if I'd had time). I tend to plant up in modules in late winter / early spring and then planted out in about mid March. I also had some which were planted before Christmas (maybe Nov, I can't remember now) but only one of then survived the winter as the rest rotted. The one which survived was very nice, ready earlier but no bigger than the spring sown ones.

[kentvegplot]

Mine are drying in the greenhouse on the top shelf of some staging. I keep them in an old netting bag in the shed, but never seem to manage to use them all before the new season comes along!

I also don't seem to be able to grow any small ones - I've tried the trick with the different sizes of 'saved' shallots, but they always get too big for pickling.

Never mind, loads of shallots will make up for somewhat pathetic onions...

[Florence Fennel]

I hadn't thought of saving some shallots to replant (even though I did think of it for the garlic) and I have got quite a few small ones. Definitely going to try this. I put my shallots in open trays in the blowaway to dry with the stems intact and then cut of the stem when the whole thing is dry.