BARBARA FICK: "Curing is a way of making sure those leaves on the outside are nice and dry."
Here are some directions from editors at the National Gardening Association.
First, dry the onions in the sun for a day or so. Then bring them out of direct sun for two to three weeks. Spread them out in any warm, airy place that is covered. Or cover the onions with a light cotton sheet held in place with stones along the edge.
The sheet will keep the sun from burning the bulbs. Don't worry about rain. And do not use a plastic or canvas sheet. Heavy coverings will trap moisture and keep the onions from drying fully.
Turn the bulbs a couple of times to help them dry evenly.
After curing the onions, you can hang them indoors in mesh bags to dry even more. There should be no wet spots on the onions when they are put in storage. Editors at the National Gardening Association say the longer onions are cured, the better they will keep.
Some people cut off the top leaves before curing onions. If you do that, do not cut the leaves any closer than two and a half centimeters from the bulb.
And that’s the VOA Special English Agriculture Report, written by Jerilyn Watson. For more stories about gardening, go to voaspecialenglish.com. I’m Steve Ember.
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2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25
2013-11-25