How to Store Potatoes Garlic and Onions

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It is important to know how to store potatoes, garlic and onions to make them last longer and in a fresh state.

With the cost of living going up all over the world we need to make sure we don’t waste food. One way to cut down on the amount of food we throw away is to learn how best to store it in our kitchens. Extend the life of your vegetables by storing them correctly.

Storage Needs of Potatoes Garlic & Onions

When not kept properly potatoes can go green and all three of these vegetables are prone to sprouting. When they do this it means they are starting to grow as plants by developing the shoots. If they have only just started sprouting, the tuber is firm and not green, sprouted potatoes are still be safe to eat as long as you remove the sprouts.

However, when sprouting those shoots are taking food away from the potato to do so which means it has started the process of degrading the potato tuber. Little shoots developing on an onion or garlic also means food stored in the bulbs is being depleted.

Green-coloured potato tubers should never be eaten as they contain a toxin called solanine.

Sprouts and shoots developing on these particular vegetables mean they are being degraded to make way for another developing plant, and toxins start developing in the potato. The flavour is also destroyed. This is the reasoning behind why we need to store them properly so they can last longer.

Tips for Storage of Potatoes

Light is what causes the tubers to sprout so potatoes must be stored in a dark place out of the light. Keep them in a cool dry place as moisture can speed up the degradation of them. They also need to be kept in a well-ventilated area or container.

Suitable Containers for Potato Storage

Potatoes should be stored in breathable containers like dark-coloured burlap sacks with adequate ventilation or paper bags. Wide-mouth canisters with holes at the base of the bins are more attractive and appealing containers for storage in kitchens.

Don’t store potatoes with onions or garlic as their next-door neighbours as the onions /garlic can give off ethylene vapours which encourage and speed up sprouting on potatoes.

Keep Checking Your Potatoes

If you buy in bulk keep checking your potatoes from time to time as if one gets spoiled and it’s touching others the rot can spread. To save food waste buy only what you think you’ll need.

Tips for Storing Garlic

While newly pressed garlic is what makes meals so delicious, we do need to pay attention to storing the bulbs correctly so they stay fresh and useable for longer.

When buying bulbs check they are firm and hard. Don’t be tempted to buy too many at a time as a little goes a long way. Like potatoes, they are best stored in cool dry positions with aeration and out of the sun.

Storing Garlic

Breathable mesh bags are the perfect ways to store garlic. They can be hung up in the pantry out of the way til needed. Mesh baskets and wide-mouth containers are also suitable.

Storing Onions To Make Them Last Longer

Onions are widely used in many meals so many of us keep a little store of them. When purchased they often come presented in a plastic bag with holes. As soon as you get them home remove them from that plastic into a breathable container that has good air circulation and is out of the sun. If you can place them in a dark place that is ideal but I have found mine last long on a shelf out of direct light.

Storage Containers for Onions

Well-aired bowls, baskets and wide-mouth canisters make good containers in which to keep your onions.

By following these easy suggestions you should find that your store of these vegetables stays fresher and lasts longer which indirectly saves money.