There are lots of ways to store Vidalia onions to extend their shelf-life (once they arrive in your kitchen). Over the years, I’ve grown accustomed to one certain method – not just because of the consistent results, but because it applies to any region within the USA (hot climate, humid climate, wet climate, cold climate, etc).
It’s the Refrigerator Veggie bin storage method.
Here’s what I do: (and it consistently stores my Vidalias for 3-6 months, sometimes longer)
- Wrap each individual Vidalia in a paper towel (newspaper works fine as well). This helps ensure the Vidalia remains cool & dry.
- Find a paper sack (paper grocery bags work well)… a flat bottom is convenient. The paper sack (when closed) filters out most light, which helps the Vidalia go somewhat dormant.
- Place each wrapped Vidalia at the bottom of the paper bag – this can typically hold 3-6 onions. If possible, keep them slightly separated.
- Optional: If you’d like to store 6-12 (or more): Cut a rectangle piece of cardboard (I use from discarded shipping box). Place cutout on top of onions. Place additional Vidalias on top of cardboard cutout thus creating a ‘second story’. You can also cut an additional piece and place as the foundation of the bag (so there’s less ‘bag sagging’ when picked up)
- Close top of bag, fold over, and pinch closed with chip clip (or similar)
- Place sack in refrigerator veggie bin. If bin has a humidity lever, set it to LOW.
- Done! : ) 🧅
Examples:
Here are some photo examples of a Vidalia I just removed from storage today (7/8/2024). It’s been stored roughly 90 days, via the method above, and the quality is as good as the day we harvested:
We also share multiple other ways to store Vidalia onions on our Storage Tips page, which includes the tried & true panty hose method, the frozen method, and the dehydrated method : )
