Vidalia Onion Storage Tips & Handling
How to Store and Handle Vidalia Onions
The water content in Vidalia onions is much higher than in regular storage onions. This characteristic contributes to Vidalias’ sweet taste, but it also shortens their shelf life and makes them more susceptible to bruising.
To keep them at their sweet best, Vidalias must be handled and stored with care by the grower, the retailer and you, the consumer.
The key to preserving Vidalias is to keep them cool, dry, and separated.
When stored properly, our Vidalias can last as long as 1-2 months on the counter, or 3-6 months when placed into refrigerator veggie bin (mentioned below).
How to Store Sweet Vidalia Onions
Option 1
- One of our favorite places to store Vidalias is the veggie bin in the refrigerator. Wrap each bulb individually in paper towels, which will help absorb moisture, and place them in the crisper with the vents closed. Also consider placing those wrapped onions into a brown paper sack, loosely closed at the top (onions prefer dark, cool, dry places). A few will naturally go bad, but many will keep for months. Buy a big bag at the end of the season and you should have Vidalias through the holidays!
Option 2
- In the legs of clean, sheer pantyhose – believe it or not this is a great way to store sweet onions. Tie a knot in between each Vidalia and simply cut above the knot when you want to use one! Be sure to hang in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area.
Option 3
- On elevated racks or screens, not touching, and in a cool, dry place.
- Don’t store with potatoes – they make onions spoil quicker.
How to Preserve Sweet Onions for Cooking
Vidalias can be dried
- Chop evenly and spread on a cookie sheet, then bake using the lowest temperature setting. Remove when thoroughly dry but not brown. Store at room temperature in airtight containers.
Vidalias can be chopped and frozen
- Chop evenly and spread on a cookie sheet, then place in the freezer. When completely frozen, remove and seal in freezer containers or bags. Remove the amount you want as needed.
These flavorful sweet onions can be frozen whole
- Peel, wash, and core jumbo Vidalias.
- Drop into a plastic freezer bag
- Once frozen, the Vidalias can be removed like ice cubes. Whole frozen Vidalias can be baked, but note that freezing changes the onion’s texture, so frozen onions should be used for cooking only.
