How to keep green onions fresh

+48 votes
asked Apr 14, 2018 in Food & Drink by JeanetteStud (260 points)
edited Jul 7, 2019
Green onions are good to put in soups and salads. However, after a while, the onions go bad when I take them out of the fridge. There should be ways to retain the bright green leaves and clean white bulbs. What are ways that I can keep green onions fresh?

3 Answers

+19 votes
answered Jul 11, 2019 by Hannelore432 (380 points)
edited Aug 1, 2019
After a few days, your green onions are expected to wither up and die. If you maintain the coolest temperature in the fridge, you will find that certain vegetables still go limp. If you keep opening and closing the door of the fridge, you expose these plants to air that contributes to the degradation. So, the fridge and the freezer are not always the best places to store food.

You can avoid this natural process by regrowing onions. Indoors, keep these vegetables in a jar full of water. Place this container next to the air and sunlight near your window. Continue to add water to the roots and watch the plant flourish in the sunlight.

Another version is to cover the jar with a plastic bag and store it in the fridge. Every few days, check the growth of the plant and replace the water.

After a few days in the water, you may notice that some parts of the onions have browned and wilted. If this happens, you want to snip away the dead parts and see if the vegetable is good enough for use.

The point of buying fresh vegetables is to use them right away. These plants are plucked straight out of the ground and not meant for long-term storage. You can only keep fruits and vegetables fresh by keeping them out of the fridge. That means: you have to use them often and buy them frequently.
commented Sep 25, 2015 by DongMiljanov (200 points)
This is so helpful to anyone who wants to know how to keep green onions fresh!
+9 votes
answered Aug 30, 2018 by Peggy28U5514 (340 points)
edited Jul 3, 2019
Freeze your green onions overnight in plastic bags. Whenever you want to preserve the freshness in certain foods, such as fruits and meats, make use of the freezer. Freezing slows down the rate of decomposition that ruins fresh foods too often. Keep the stored food in plastic bags that are sealed properly. When you cook, you can defrost the onions easily by placing them in hot water.
+7 votes
answered Feb 7, 2019 by JudyTvm17974 (330 points)
edited May 20, 2019
Soak the green onions in cold water. Rejuvenate vegetables that have gone limp by restoring moisture in the roots and leaves. Place these onions in a bath full of ice water for at least half an hour. You will find these vegetables fresher than they were a few minutes before.
Welcome to Instant Answer, where you can ask questions and receive answers from other members of the community.
...