How to store scallions? Learn these methods to keep them longer

Scallions originated in Siberia, have a long history of cultivation in China, and are widely distributed, with Shandong, Hebei, Henan and other provinces as important producing areas. They are cold-resistant and heat-resistant, highly adaptable, and available on the market in all four seasons. They are an essential item in the daily kitchen. Let's take a look at the preservation methods for scallions below!

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; let the surface moisture of the scallions dry completely in the shade. Choose a 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 scallions bundle by bundle in the storage trench, then cover the white part of the scallions completely with soil. Before severe cold arrives, cover with straw curtains or corn stalks. This way they can be stored until March of the following year.

2. Burial storage: Place the scallions that have been dried, selected and bundled by the above method in a shady corner or 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 covers to prevent freezing before 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 the pit, covering the white part of the scallion roots with soil. After burying, irrigate with plenty of water to increase soil moisture, promote new root growth, slow down the drying of the leaves, and extend the fresh-keeping time.

4. Dry storage: Dry scallions harvested at the right time for 2-3 days, shake off the soil from the roots, discard diseased and damaged plants, and when they are dry on the seventh day, tie them into bundles of about 1 kg, and place them root-down, bundle by bundle, in a dry, ventilated place. During storage, pay attention to preventing heat and moisture.

5. Frozen storage: After harvesting the scallions, dry them for a few days, and after the seeds wilt, 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 cool, dry place with little temperature variation, without any insulation measures, and let 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, only afraid of moving." Do not move the scallions during thawing, otherwise they are prone to rot after thawing.

6. Open-field overwintering storage: When the planted scallions reach harvest season but are not harvested, before the soil freezes, apply high and thick soil to the scallion ridges, and afterward dig them out for market at any time as needed.

7. Short-term fresh-keeping storage: Dig a flat-bottomed pit 20 cm deep in a shaded spot against a wall, spread 0.3 cm thick sand on the bottom of the pit, and surround the pit with bricks; the size of the pit depends on the storage amount. After harvesting or buying the scallions, first irrigate the pit with water 6-7 cm deep, and after the water seeps down, immediately put the scallions into the pit, and every 3-4 days pour some water into the four corners of the pit. This can keep them fresh for about 1 month, with the leaves not turning yellow and the bunches not drying 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 dried scallions into bundles of 7-10 kg, stack them on the rack in turn, leaving gaps in between for ventilation to prevent rot. 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 are heating up and deteriorating.

2. Ground storage method: On flat ground in a sheltered spot, spread sand 3-4 cm thick, and densely stack the dried and bundled scallions 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: Dig a shallow trench 20-30 cm deep and 50-70 cm wide in a cool, ventilated place. Tie the selected, 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 completely with soil, and surround them with a ring of corn stalks to facilitate ventilation and heat dissipation. Before the temperature drops, add straw curtains or corn stalks as cover.

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

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

6. Light freezing storage method: Dig a shallow trench 10-20 cm deep and 1-2 m wide on the north side of an east-west wall. 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 all the scallion leaves 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.