Seed to Supper Database

Onion

Grower's Guide

"The flavor foundation of every budget kitchen — roots to tips, nothing wasted."

There's no cheaper way to make food taste good than an onion. It's the first thing in the pan for nearly every dish Grandmaw ever made, and every single part of it earns its keep — from the papery skin to the root end.

Parts Mapped

Every piece accounted for

Total Uses

Nothing wasted

Preservation Methods

Year-round supply

Culinary Dice and sauté in butter or oil as the flavor base for soups, stews, gravies, chili, sauces — this is where almost every good meal starts

Culinary Slice into thin rings, toss in seasoned flour, and fry in oil for crispy onion rings or French-fried onions to top casseroles

Culinary Caramelize low and slow in butter for 30-45 minutes until jammy and golden — spread on burgers, stir into pasta, pile on toast

Culinary Quarter and roast at 400°F for 40 minutes until sweet and charred — serve alongside any roasted meat or root vegetable

Culinary Grate raw on a box grater and mix into ground meat for juicier, more flavorful burgers, meatballs, and meatloaf

Culinary Slice thin and pickle in equal parts vinegar, water, and a tablespoon of sugar — ready in 30 minutes, lasts 2 weeks in the fridge

Culinary Hollow out a large onion, stuff with seasoned ground beef and rice, and bake covered for a one-dish supper

Culinary Blend raw into salad dressings, marinades, and salsas for depth without chunks

Garden Onion scraps and trimmings go straight to the compost bin — they break down fast and add sulfur to the soil

Household Cut a raw onion in half and set cut-side up in a freshly painted room or musty space — it absorbs odors overnight

Culinary Save skins in a freezer bag and simmer with other veggie scraps, bay leaf, and peppercorns for free homemade vegetable broth

Culinary Add a handful of yellow onion skins to bone broth or stock — they add deep golden color and extra minerals

Culinary Steep clean onion skins in simmering water for 10 minutes for a natural food-safe dye — makes beautiful amber to deep brown

Garden Crumble dry onion skins directly into garden beds as mulch — the sulfur compounds help deter aphids and some fungal diseases

Garden Steep onion skins in water for 24 hours, strain, and spray on plants as a mild organic fungicide and pest deterrent

Garden Add to compost — onion skins are a great source of potassium and decompose quickly

Household Simmer onion skins with white vinegar and a splash of water to make a natural amber dye for Easter eggs or fabric

Household Brew a strong onion skin tea and use it to polish and darken wooden cutting boards and utensils

Culinary Chop and use exactly like green onion tops — sprinkle on soup, eggs, baked potatoes, tacos, or stir-fry

Culinary Slice thin and fold into cream cheese or sour cream dip with garlic powder for a quick party dip

Culinary Sauté in butter and toss with pasta, salt, and Parmesan for a 10-minute dinner when the pantry's bare

Culinary Blend into omelets, scrambles, or frittatas — they're milder and sweeter than mature onion

Garden Let sprouted onions keep growing in a pot of soil — you'll get a continuous supply of green onion tops all season

Garden Chop and scatter around garden plants as mulch — the sulfur compounds repel pests as they break down

Culinary Cut away any truly bad spots, chop the rest, and caramelize the whole batch — soft onions actually caramelize faster and sweeter

Culinary Dice and cook into French onion soup — soft onions melt down beautifully and you can't tell the difference

Culinary Chop, sauté, and freeze in ice cube trays — pop out a cube anytime a recipe starts with 'sauté onion'

Culinary Blend into pasta sauce, curry base, or chili — cooked down, a soft onion adds the same flavor as a firm one

Garden Bury soft onions a few inches deep in garden beds — they decompose quickly and add sulfur and potassium to the soil

Garden Toss into compost — even moldy onions break down fine. Just chop them up first so they don't form a slimy clump

Difficulty

Easy to moderate — patient gardeners get the best bulbs

Sun

Full sun (6-8 hours minimum)

Water

1 inch per week — consistent but not soggy

Time to Harvest

90-120 days from transplant (bulb onions)

Zones

3-9 (varies by type — check short-day vs. long-day)

Spacing

4-6 inches apart, rows 12-18 inches apart

🪴 Where You Can Grow It

Garden bed Raised bed 5-gallon bucket Grow bag Large patio pot Window box (green onions) Straw bale Recycled container (green onions from scraps)

🌱 Best Varieties

Yellow Storage Onion

Everyday cooking, caramelizing, soups, stews — keeps 3-6 months in cool storage

Red Onion

Salads, pickling, burgers, grilling — beautiful color and mild bite

White Onion

Mexican and Latin dishes, salsas, sautéing — sharper and cleaner flavor

Sweet Onion (Vidalia, Walla Walla)

Eating raw, onion rings, salads — high sugar content, shorter storage life

Green Onion / Scallion

Garnish, stir-fry, salads — regrows from root ends in water or soil

Shallot

Dressings, sauces, refined cooking — milder and sweeter, easy to grow from sets

✅ Good Companions

Carrots

Beets

Lettuce

Tomato

Pepper

Cabbage

Chamomile

Strawberry

⛔ Keep Away From

Beans (all types)

Peas

Asparagus

Sage

💡 Grandmaw's Tips

🌱 Know your day length — southern gardeners (zones 7+) need short-day varieties like Texas 1015 or Vidalia. Northern gardeners need long-day types like Walla Walla or Copra. Plant the wrong kind and you'll get scallions instead of bulbs.

🌱 Start onion seeds indoors 8-10 weeks before last frost, or save yourself the trouble and buy onion sets or transplants — sets are cheap and almost foolproof.

🌱 Green onions regrow from nothing — set the white root end in an inch of water on a windowsill and you'll have fresh greens in a week. Repeat all winter.

🌱 Stop watering when the tops start to flop over and yellow — that's the onion telling you it's done. Let them cure in a warm, dry spot for 2-3 weeks before storing.

🌱 Braid the dried tops and hang in a cool, dry place — a braid of yellow onions will last through winter and looks beautiful in the kitchen.

🌱 Plant onion sets between tomato plants — the sulfur compounds help repel pests and they don't compete for space.

Every item below works beautifully with onion.

🥩 Proteins

Ground beef Chicken thighs Pork chops Italian sausage Bacon Eggs Liver Lentils Canned tuna Stew beef Chuck roast Hot dogs

🥬 Vegetables

Bell pepper Tomato Potato Carrots Celery Mushrooms Corn Green beans Cabbage Zucchini Greens (collard/kale) Jalapeño

🌿 Herbs

Thyme Rosemary Parsley Bay leaf Sage Oregano Cilantro Chives

🧂 Spices

Garlic Black pepper Cumin Paprika Chili powder Cayenne Italian seasoning Mustard powder Celery salt Worcestershire sauce

🧀 Dairy

Butter Cheddar Swiss Gruyère Cream cheese Sour cream Parmesan Mozzarella

🫙 Pantry

Olive oil Chicken broth Beef broth Vinegar Soy sauce Worcestershire sauce Tomato sauce Flour Rice Pasta Bread Canned beans

🔗 Explore more foods in Grandmaw's Pantry

Here's how to keep onion all year long.

🏠 Root Cellar / Cool Storage (Whole)

3-6 months (yellow/white) / 1-2 months (sweet/red)

Best for: Everyday cooking all winter without any processing

💡 Yellow storage onions in a cool (35-50°F), dry, dark spot with airflow will last you from harvest clear through to spring. Hang in mesh bags or old pantyhose — don't let them touch.

🧊 Freezing (Diced)

6-12 months

Best for: Soups, stews, casseroles, stir-fry — any cooked dish

💡 Dice a 10-pound bag in one session, spread on sheet pans to flash freeze, then bag up. Grab a handful anytime — no thawing needed, just toss straight into the hot pan.

🧊 Freezing (Caramelized)

6-8 months

Best for: Instant French onion soup, burger topping, pasta stirred straight from frozen

💡 Caramelize a huge batch when onions are cheap, freeze in ice cube trays, then pop into bags. Each cube is about 2 tablespoons of pure flavor you'd otherwise spend 45 minutes making.

🌀 Dehydrating

1-3 years

Best for: Onion powder, onion flakes, seasoning blends, camping meals

💡 Slice thin, dehydrate at 125°F for 8-12 hours, then grind in a blender for homemade onion powder that beats anything in the spice aisle. A 3-pound bag makes a pint jar of powder.

🫙 Pickling (Quick Pickle)

2-4 weeks (refrigerator)

Best for: Tacos, burgers, sandwiches, salads, grain bowls, barbecue plates

💡 Thin-sliced red onion in equal parts vinegar and water with a tablespoon of sugar and pinch of salt — ready in 30 minutes and they make everything taste better.

🥫 Canning (Caramelized Onion Jam)

12-18 months

Best for: Gift giving, cheese boards, burger spread, grilled meat topping

💡 Caramelize with balsamic vinegar and a touch of brown sugar, then water-bath can in half-pint jars. These make gorgeous homemade gifts that cost almost nothing.

🔗 Learn preservation methods in Grandmaw's Kitchen

Seed to Supper to Seed

Nothing leaves the cycle. Everything comes back around.

🌱

Start onion seeds indoors in January, or buy sets in spring for $2-3 a bag

🧅

Plant sets 4-6 inches apart after last frost — they practically grow themselves

🌿

Harvest green onion tops all season for fresh flavor without pulling the bulb

🧅

Pull bulbs when tops flop over and cure for 2-3 weeks in a warm, dry spot

🍳

Cook fresh in everything — sautéed, caramelized, roasted, pickled, or raw

🧊

Dice and freeze a big batch, freeze caramelized cubes, or dehydrate into powder

🏠

Store whole cured onions in a cool, dry place — they'll last through winter

🍲

Save skins and scraps in a freezer bag for homemade vegetable broth

🌱

Regrow green onion tops from root ends on the windowsill — free food forever

🪴

Let one onion go to seed in the garden and save seeds for next year's crop