How to Store Scallions? A Share of the Latest Scallion Storage Methods

Scallions are native to Siberia. Cultivation in our country has a long history and a wide distribution, with Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other provinces as important producing areas. They are cold-resistant and heat-tolerant, highly adaptable, and available on the market in all four seasons. They are an essential item in the everyday kitchen. Below, let us take a look at the storage methods for scallions!

Conventional Storage of Scallions

1. Trench storage: After harvesting the scallions, dry them in the sun on the spot for a few hours, remove the soil from the roots, discard diseased and damaged plants, tie them into bundles of about 10 kg, and pile them in a well-ventilated place for about 6 days, so that the surface moisture of the scallions is completely dried in the shade. Choose a wind-sheltered, ventilated spot and dig a trench 50-70 cm apart. If the humidity at the bottom of the trench is low, water it thoroughly once. After the water has completely seeped down, place the bundles of scallions one next to another in the storage trench, then cover the white part of the scallions firmly with soil. Before the severe cold arrives, cover with straw curtains or corn stalks. In this way they can be stored until March of the following year.

2. Burial storage: Place the scallions that have been sun-dried, selected and bundled by the above method in a shaded corner against a wall or in a cool room, spread a layer of moist soil on the bottom, and bank moist soil around the scallions up to the leaves. If buried outdoors, add straw mats to protect against freezing before the severe cold arrives.

3. Heeling-in storage: Dig a shallow flat pit in the yard or in the field, remove damaged and diseased plants from the scallions harvested before the Start of Winter, tie them into small bundles, and heel them in inside the pit, covering the white part of the scallion roots with soil. After burying, irrigate with a large amount of water to increase soil moisture, promote the sprouting of new roots, slow the drying of the scallion leaves, and extend the freshness-keeping time.

4. Dry storage: Sun-dry scallions harvested at the proper time for 2-3 days, shake off the soil from the roots, discard diseased and damaged plants, and when they are dry after seven days, tie them into scallion bundles of about 1 kg and place them root-down, bundle next to bundle, in a dry, ventilated place. During storage, take care to prevent heat and moisture.

5. Frozen storage: After harvesting the scallions, dry them for a few days, and once the seeds have withered, discard damaged and diseased plants, shake off the soil, tie them into small bundles, and place them in an empty room or outdoors in a place with little temperature variation, cool and dry, without any insulation measures, letting them freeze naturally. By deep winter, the stored scallions are all frozen, and when the weather turns warm, the scallions can thaw naturally. As the saying goes: “Not afraid of freezing, just afraid of moving.” During the thawing period, the scallions must not be moved, otherwise they are prone to rotting after thawing.

6. Open-field overwintering storage: When the planted scallions reach the harvest season but are not harvested, before the ground freezes, bank the scallion rows with tall, thick soil, after which they can be dug out at any time as needed for market.

7. Short-term freshness-keeping storage: In a shaded spot against a wall, dig a flat-bottomed pit 20 cm deep, spread sand 0.3 cm thick on the bottom of the pit, and surround the pit with bricks; the size of the pit depends on the storage quantity. After the scallions are harvested or purchased, first irrigate the pit with water 6-7 cm deep, and once the water has seeped down, immediately place the scallions into the pit, and every 3-4 days pour some water into the four corners of the pit. In this way they can be kept fresh for about 1 month, the leaves do not turn yellow and the bunches do not dry out, and they can be sold on the market.

Autumn and Winter Storage of Scallions

1. Rack storage method: Outdoors or in a shed or indoors, build a storage rack with wooden poles or steel. Tie the harvested and sun-dried scallions into bundles of 7-10 kg, stack them on the rack in turn, leaving gaps in between for ventilation and air circulation to prevent rotting. For open-air rack storage, cover with plastic film to protect against rain and snow. During storage, open the bundles regularly for inspection and promptly remove plants that have heated up and deteriorated.

2. Ground storage method: On flat ground in a wind-sheltered spot, spread sand 3-4 cm thick, and stack the sun-dried, bundled scallions densely on the sand, roots facing down, in a width of 1-1.5 m. After stacking, bank sand 15 cm high around the roots of the scallions. Cover with straw curtains and plastic film to protect against rain.

3. Trench storage method: In a cool, ventilated place, dig a shallow trench 20-30 cm deep and 50-70 cm wide. Tie the selected, sun-dried scallions into bundles of about 10 kg. After filling the trench with enough water, plant the scallions bundle by bundle into the trench, cover the white part of the scallions firmly with soil, and surround them with a ring of corn stalks to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation. Before the temperature drops, add a cover of straw curtains or corn stalks.

4. Cellar storage method: After harvesting, sun-dry for several days, tie the scallions into bundles of about 10 kg, and stand them upright in a dry, sunny, rain-sheltered place to dry. When the temperature drops below 0°C, store them in a cellar. Keep the cellar at a low temperature of 0°C, and take care to prevent heat and moisture.

5. Cold storage method: Tie scallions free of pests, diseases and injuries into bundles of about 10 kg, pack them into boxes or baskets, and place them in a refrigerated warehouse for stacked storage. Keep the warehouse at 0-1°C and a relative humidity of 80%-85%. During storage, check regularly and promptly remove rotting and deteriorated scallions.

6. Light-freezing storage method: On the north side of an east-west wall, dig a shallow trench 10-20 cm deep and 1-2 m wide. Gather the sun-dried scallions into bundles of 7-10 kg and store them upright in the trench. In the early storage period, leave the upper part of the scallion bundles open, and turn them once a week so that the scallion leaves are completely dry. When the weather is cold and the white part of the scallions is slightly frozen, bank soil around the scallions and cover the top with straw curtains.