Onions are one of the most necessary vegetables in Russian cuisine. Every family’s favorite recipes are now replete with dishes that certainly contain onions.
And if such an important role is assigned to a vegetable, you need to know about the rules for storing it for the winter. In this article we will talk about how to weave braids from onions and reveal the secrets of storing such a workpiece.
Stages of weaving a bow
Preparing onions for weaving
The first thing you need to take care of is not to miss the time of maturation of the heads. Pick well-ripened fruits. Overripe and underripe are not suitable for weaving. Most gardeners begin to pull out the bulbs after the dry feathers have died.
Also try not to allow the harvest to be ready until after the long rainy season. Excess moisture may cause the bulbs to rot. If the leaves have fallen in clear sunny weather and no rain is expected, you can leave the vegetables in the beds for a week.
Clean the collected bulbs from any remaining soil. Spread the collection in one layer on a blanket or oilcloth and leave to dry. The drying area must be dry and well ventilated.
Do not pluck or trim the tails under any circumstances. When harvesting onions, keep the entire length of the tops. If the leaves are too long, cut them to 12 cm.
It is important to dry the onions until the tops wither. It must be only slightly dried to maintain elasticity. Dry ponytails are not suitable for braiding. They will crumble and break off.
The drying period usually takes 4-5 days. Or it may take 2-3 days, depending on the air temperature. It is recommended to move the onions to a sunny place at the end of drying so that the bulbs dry better. But you shouldn’t overdo it, so that the bulbs don’t get exposed and the tops don’t dry out.
When the onions are dry, they should be sorted and sorted by size. Remove damaged and spoiled bulbs - this will make the braid beautiful and neat. Remove excess husks from around the tops. The prepared onion has a moderately thin and dry neck, and the husk rustles when touched.
Ways to weave a bow
To begin with, given that the onion braid will be quite heavy, prepare the base for the ponytails. A strong thin rope, ribbon or cord is suitable for this. Do not start weaving bulbs if they are not yet sufficiently dry. Otherwise, the tops will dry out and the suspension will become loose and not beautiful.
We offer the most common ways to braid onions:
Storing onion braids
Now let's talk about storing onions in braids. Optimal conditions for storing onion fagots are at air temperatures from +18°C to +20°C.
Onions prepared in this way should be stored in a warm room - it may be too damp in the basement. And in too warm conditions the workpiece will dry out. Therefore, there are certain recommendations, the observance of which will allow your preparations to be preserved until spring:
One of the main advantages of storing onions in braids is that air can freely penetrate to each bulb. This is why onions in braids are stored longer than in a bag or box.
Benefits of onion braids:
Onion braids are a real godsend for thrifty owners and beauty lovers. This preparation will bring benefits and add comfort to your home.
As you have already seen, it is not at all difficult to weave braids from onions. But at the same time, the bundle will save your energy and eliminate unnecessary hassle.
Find out in this article, this is done in order to correctly save onions in winter.
Our ancestors wove garlic and onions into braids and hung them on the wall. This allows well, since air freely penetrates to each bulb, which cannot be achieved either in a bag, or in a box, or in a net. Braids make it possible to:
- quickly find an onion of the required size;
- cut as many bulbs as required;
- remove spoiled vegetables;
- rehang the braids to another place.
We will tell you about known weaving methods.
Onions ripen in July. This can be seen by the dried lower leaves. Once you have noticed this, you can harvest and prepare to braid. The bulbs should be dug up with a pitchfork so as not to touch the fruits themselves. You can pull the onion by the tops, but so as not to tear it off.
If the weather is dry and warm, then the vegetables can be left to dry on the ground. When rain is expected, then the entire onion may spoil. In order to preserve the harvest, it should be moved under cover. In winter, onion braids are hung in a cool place.
Preparing onions for braids
Before you start braiding, you should make preparations. For this:
- Before harvesting, we keep the tops long;
- after harvesting the onions, remove the soil from them;
- dry the bulbs so that they do not disappear;
- select even heads of the same size;
- roots can be removed;
- Do not overdry the leaves of the bulbs, otherwise they may break off.
Please note that it is best to start braiding 3-4 days after harvesting the onions. The leaves will be limp, but not dry.
For certain weaving methods, it is necessary that the tops be well dried. Therefore, you first need to choose a method for weaving and storing onions and, based on this choice, prepare the onions.
Common braiding methods
- Since the bow braid is heavy, a base is required, that is, a rope.
We find the onion with the longest and strongest stem and attach it to the beginning of the twine, aligning the edges. You will get 3 branches: a couple from the twine and one from the bow.
We braid them. With each grab, add an onion one at a time from both sides (try to grab it close to firmly attach it to the braid).
We braid the braid until the twine is 15-20 cm long.
After this, we tightly wrap the bow with twine and make a loop on which we will hang the braid.
- Before you start braiding, you should prepare it (same as in the first method).
First you need to select the largest bulbs with tops.
We take the twine, fold it in half, a loop will come out on the fold, and we will attach the first onion into it. In this case, the tops of the bulb and the ends of the twine will form 3 parts for weaving the braid.
After that, we select the most and weave them evenly on both sides of the braid.
After every 3-4 heads, you need to make a knot that is tied over them.
- First, the bulbs should be tied together to form pairs. Do this carefully so that the tops do not come off.
Just like in the previous methods, we attach the first onion to the twine.
Pairs of heads must be placed alternately between the twines, first in one direction, then in the other direction.
After 2-3 pairs, a knot should be made on the twine for fastening.
- The braid is woven from onions with well-dried tops (when drying took place for about a month indoors).
Excess husk is removed, leaving the tops.
We form a ring (about 70 cm) from twine and attach it to a hook for ease of work.
A pair of interconnected onions are attached to the beginning of the ring.
Then we attach the second pair crosswise to this one.
After this, we take one onion at a time and wrap it with feathers around a double twine, tying it over the attached pairs (the tops should remain between the heads, do not touch the ends, then they can be cut off).
The bulbs must be spaced evenly.
In the upper part we make a 7-10 cm loop for hanging.
Having finished weaving, cut off the excess stems.
You can also weave garlic braids. The braids are decorated with dried flowers.
Storing onion braids
It's clear what to store onion braids needs to be in a cool, dry place. Knittings are dried for 2 weeks. The room should be sufficiently dry, well ventilated, temperature 10-16 degrees.
How to weave a bow video
Now that you know how to braid bows you can be confident in the safety of your harvest. The site wishes you good luck in your work!
The most interesting way to store onions is in braids. And today we will tell you about how to braid onions correctly and how they should be stored at home.
In order to braid an onion, you need to know the technology of harvest preparation and weaving.
This activity is quite labor-intensive, but the result will surprise more than one guest.
Braiding onions is one of the oldest methods of storing the harvest of this crop, which was widely used by our ancestors and remains popular to this day, despite the fact that it is not an easy task and requires perseverance and patience from housewives.
There are several reasons why many people prefer to braid their hair with onions:
Optimal timing for weaving braids from onions
When do housewives start braiding onions? Immediately after harvesting, you can’t do weaving - you need to let it go through the drying stage, which consists of two phases:
- dry in the sun for 2-3 days;
- dry in a dry, well-ventilated area for 1-2 weeks.
This is a classic option for drying onions before long-term storage. During this time, the necks of the bulbs dry out well.
Some gardeners prefer not to go through the second drying phase, but simply dry the crop in the sun for 3 days. During this time, the feathers have not yet had time to dry, they become more elastic and flaccid, which makes the process of braiding much easier, and further drying takes place during hanging storage. Although there are methods of weaving with dry onion tops.
How to prepare onions
So, the first preparation for braiding the onion harvest after harvesting is drying it, the technology of which was described above.
After this, proceed to the following operations:
- cleaning Here, the dried bulbs are cleaned of any remaining soil and the old roots are cut off. Usually leave no more than 2 cm of their length. You need to trim the roots using a sharp knife, being careful not to damage the bottom of the bulbs, otherwise they will not be able to be stored for long. There is no need to trim the feathers, since they are the ones you will need for braiding;
- sorting. At this stage, it is necessary to sort the existing bulbs by size - braids made up of copies of the same parameters look very decorative. You can weave different types of onions into braids, for example, regular and red, but you should not make them too long and massive, since such creations do not last very long. Therefore, if the decorative appearance of the braid does not play an important role, it is better to compose it from bulbs of the same variety.
In addition, you will need to stock up on twine made from natural material, such as linen, in advance. The fact is that when the onion feather finally dries, it will become fragile, and the braid will fall apart. Therefore, it is additionally strengthened with twine.
How to braid hair correctly
Of all the sorted bulbs, you must first choose the one whose feather looks the strongest. This is where the weaving process begins.
At the base of the onion neck, the twine must be tied so that the result is 3 “tails” - feathers and two ends of the twine, which should be the same in length (see photo).
After the beginning has been made, they begin to weave in the bulbs evenly on both the right and left, grabbing them by the neck with twine.
Weaving can be continued until the free ends of the twine are about 15 cm. After this, you need to secure them by wrapping them around the braid and making a loop by which the creation will be suspended. Usually it is 1.5-2 m long. However, it will be easier for beginners to start weaving short small braids.
There is another option for braiding. Here you also need to decide on the lower initial bulb from which the creation process will begin, and tie twine around it in the same way as the first method.
The remaining bulbs are braided in pairs with each other by the feathers. And then these couples are alternately woven into a common braid on the right and left.
After every two woven pairs, you need to secure the section with a knot. You can see more about how to weave a bow in the video below:
How to store onion braids
The conditions of a city apartment, as well as basements and cellars, where their shelf life will be longer, are suitable for storing onions in braids.
In the first case, the recommended room temperature is about +200C with an air humidity of 65-70%. In the basement the temperature is usually lower - only +50C. Therefore, if there is a basement or cellar, then it is best to hang the braids there, and store only one in the kitchen, and when the onions in it run out, bring a new one from storage.
When placing a scythe in the kitchen, you should take into account the features of this room: there is a stove in it, near which it is not recommended to place the scythe (steam rises from it during cooking), as well as heating appliances and radiators, from which warm air emanates, which can dry out the onion harvest in short time.
During storage, it is necessary to periodically inspect onion braids and discard damaged specimens. In principle, if the rules for collecting, preparing and storing spoiled bulbs are followed, there should not be a lot of spoiled bulbs.
Braids woven from onions are not only an excellent way to store the harvest of this crop, but also a wonderful and original decoration for the kitchen. And onions, which are often used in cooking, are always at hand.
Author of the article: Potapova Inga
There are many ways to braid onions for storage. A tourniquet is woven into the tops, which is finally tied into a knot and hung. Before you braid the tops, you need to know how to prepare the bulb. If you follow the step-by-step instructions, the storage of the culture will be long, the bulb will not lose useful components and will delight you with its taste and aroma. There are other positive aspects of this option for storing vegetables.
The main advantage of storing onions in braids is free ventilation of all the bulbs.
Other advantages include:
- the ability to quickly select the bulb of the desired size;
- you can immediately see the head, which has begun to deteriorate;
- you can easily change the hanging location;
- a suspended vegetable will not be accessible to pests and rodents;
- saving space;
- vegetables retain their taste and aroma for a long time.
Harvesting of the spicy vegetable begins at the end of July. The maturity of the bulbs is determined mathematically, calculated according to the lunar calendar, or by observing the appearance of the tops and underground parts of the plant.
- By the time they are fully ripe, most of the feathers in the garden turn yellow, dry out and lie to the ground.
- The neck of the bulb becomes thinner and dries out.
- The head becomes dense, the top layer of scales rustles and is easily separated.
After digging up the crop, they begin to dry it. You can dry it in the beds, if the weather permits, or in a room with good ventilation by tying the tops of several bulbs together. You should tie the onion to dry with a thick rope. Drying continues for at least 12-14 days. Only after this they begin to prepare the crop for storage.
Braiding should begin 3-4 days after digging. The feathers will be limp at this time and will not dry completely. The tops are pre-cut, leaving a length of 25-30 centimeters. There are several ways to weave onion braids.
Preparing the bulbs
After digging, all heads must be dried. Then you need to decide on how to store the onions. There are three main ways to store crops: warm, cold and mixed. You can store onions in glass containers, boxes, fabric bags, plastic containers, or simply in bulk.
If the vegetable is supposed to be kept in boxes, baskets or boxes, then the tops are cut off, leaving a stump of 3-4 centimeters. When storing a spicy vegetable in braids, the length of the tops is approximately 30 centimeters.
- Each bulb is dug up with a shovel and only then pulled out by hand.
- It is necessary to shake the adhered dirt carefully. Even minor damage can affect shelf life.
- It is necessary to dry the head together with the tops, since many nutritional components have accumulated in it. Throughout the drying period, the bulb will receive beneficial substances.
The room temperature for sweet and semi-sharp varieties should be from 0 to -1 degrees. It is recommended to store spicy onions at temperatures from -1 to -3 degrees. In apartment conditions, the temperature should be maintained at +18 to +22 degrees.
Popular ways to weave onion braids
Among the variety of methods for drying onions, the most convenient is braiding using rope. Vegetables dry more evenly and faster, so they last longer. The tops are braided in different ways. If the harvest is small, then you can do without a rope. In this case, use the wreath weaving technique.
Option 1
Since it is difficult to braid feathers alone, twine, a tourniquet, cord or any other strong rope comes to the rescue. You can knit a bow into a braid according to the following pattern.
- From the entire harvest, you should choose a dense head with thick and strong tops, which will serve as the basis. A rope of the required length is tied to the base of the tops and its ends are aligned.
- From the resulting three ponytails, they begin to weave a braid. With each subsequent capture of the side tail, new bulbs are applied. They should be woven as tightly as possible to the base of the head so that the bunch does not fall apart.
- Continue braiding the onion braid until the ends of the rope become short (18 centimeters).
- The ends of the rope are tied around the tops and a loop is made, from which the entire bunch is then hung.
The maximum length of such a braid should be no more than two meters.
Option 2
Another method of weaving a braid from onion feathers is considered simple.
- The first bulb should be selected with the longest and strongest tops.
- The rope is tied at the base of the bulb and aligned so that you get three tails of the same size.
- Then take two onions and weave a braid between their tops.
- The pairs are woven into one common braid and secured with a knot.
At the end of the weaving, a loop is made from the rope, with the help of which the resulting bunch will be suspended for further storage.
The method is considered the simplest and best for drying and storing crops. Each bulb receives sufficient fresh air, resulting in a reduced risk of rotting and disease development.
Option 3
For the third method, you need to take a rope and fold it in half. The loose ends are tied with a knot and hung on a hook.
Turnips will subsequently be attached to the two resulting ropes.
- A loop is made at the bottom of the rope, on which two onions with the longest and strongest tops tied together are attached.
- Next, another pair of heads is secured.
- The tops of the next one head are wrapped first around the first rope, then around the second and brought forward.
- The tops of the next onion, after wrapping around the ropes, are brought back.
- Work continues until the working rope runs out. Leave a 10 cm loop on top. All protruding tails are cut off with scissors.
To store the crop in braids, only dense, undamaged heads are selected. The top husks are peeled off and the roots are cut off.
Option 4
Onion braids are also woven according to the following pattern:
- The tops of three onions are tied together with a rope.
- Other bulbs and tops are woven in alternately.
This same simple method can be slightly modified. The rope is folded in half. At the place where the loop has formed, fix the head with strong and long tops. Then they begin to knit the bulbs on three sides. Tied onions can become a decoration for the kitchen if you interweave onions of different colors and attach pepper branches between them.
Storage conditions for onion braids
To store the spicy vegetable, choose well-ventilated places. The ideal option is a cool cellar or basement. The air temperature should not be lower than -3 degrees. Air humidity should be 80-90%.
Available in boxes, stockings, bags. Let's try to weave braids from onions. They will become a stylish decoration for your kitchen and will help preserve your hard-earned harvest.
5 reasons to store onions in braids
What are the advantages of storing onions in braids:
- no need to spend money on storage containers
- onions are best stored in a hanging state
- easier to control when signs of spoilage appear
- takes up less storage space
- it’s simply beautiful, if you use your imagination, onion braids can be used to decorate your kitchen
Beautiful braids from onions
Garlic wreath
How to braid a bow
To store onions in braids, you must first prepare them:
- select beautiful bulbs of the same size
- clean from dirt, remove the layer of husk
- we trim the roots; the roots of the onion can be burned, thereby preventing its germination
- The key to a beautiful bow braid is the tops. It should be elastic, never wet (it will rot), but not too dry. This condition occurs in the tops 3-4 days after the onion is dug up.
Method 1
How to braid a bow
The base is also useful for weaving braids from onions. For the base, take a cord, ribbon, rope.
We have everything ready, let's start weaving a braid from a bow.
- We take a strong onion, with long and strong tops. Fold the rope in half and tie it around the base of the bulb.
- we got three ends for weaving - tops and two ropes at the edges
- We begin to weave a braid, alternately, adding bulbs to the right and then to the left.
- Braid the bulbs in the braid tightly; to do this, braid the bulb as close to the head as possible.
- if the bow braid hangs in a visible place, it needs to be decorated. Use dry herbs and flowers (lavender, dried flowers) as decorations.
We tie the onion with a rope We begin to weave the onion into the braid We continue to weave the braid from the onion
Method 2
We take the prepared bow base (rope, cord) and begin to weave. The weaving technique is reminiscent of weaving a wreath of flowers.
- choose a beautiful onion, tie it with a string at the base
- use the second onion to braid the rope
- we continue to weave a braid from onions, gradually adding onions
Method 3
We twist the prepared, dried onions in pairs and secure them to the base.
Video “How to braid a bow for storage”
Method 4
If you don't know how to braid hair, don't despair. Simply tie onions and garlic in bunches and hang. This is also a good way to store onions and 
How to store onions in braids
Optimal conditions for storing onions
- temperature from +18°С to +22°С
- humidity within 65-70%
Inspect the onion from time to time and remove damaged ones immediately.
In the old days, it was not for nothing that onions were kept in braids as a talisman. Onions produce phytoncides that have bactericidal properties. In winter, with flu epidemics, extra protection will not hurt.
As you can see, there are many ways to weave braids from onions and garlic, choose the one that is most convenient for you.
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