How to Freeze Green Onions (What You Need to Know)
Have your green onions turned slimy and limp before you got the chance to use them? This is a problem faced by many people. Scallions don’t remain fresh for a long time; the onions will rot in less than a week when stored under average refrigerator temperatures. Can you possibly freeze green onions instead?
It’s possible to freeze every part of a green onion: the white bulb end, the leafy green top, and the stem found in between. After freezing the green onion, its texture will change slightly. The bulb and stem portions will become soft while the green section becomes tough.
You don’t have to waste your surplus green onions because you don’t know how to store them. After freezing, you can use them in your stews, soups, and any other recipe. The taste will remain fresh and perfect.
How To Freeze and Store Green Onions
Here are the proper steps to follow when looking to freeze and store your green onions. They include:
Washing and Trimming
The first step when freezing your green onions is washing and trimming. Use clean water and white vinegar to clean the onions. Soak the onions for a while to remove all the dirt and pesticides. Use three parts water to one part of vinegar for the best results.
When the scallions are clean, the next stage is trimming them. Ensure you’ve removed and discarded all the slimy and limp stalks on the onions. Pat the onions dry using paper towels.
Before freezing, it’s essential to slice your green onions. This way, it’ll be easy to thaw and use them later on in your recipes. When cutting, always start by getting rid of the root attached to the bulb.
Slice the entire onion, but ensure you store the dark green and white parts separately.
Storage and Freezing
After cleaning and drying your green onions, transfer them into a clean parchment paper-lined plate or tray. Spread the onions in one layer.
Put the plate in the freezer until the onions are frozen. This stage is critical because it ensures that the green onion won’t freeze in one clump. When frozen, you can transfer the green onions to separate containers. You can use resealable freezer bags or containers. Labeling the containers is paramount. The green onions can remain in the freezer for more than six months.
How To Cook With Frozen Scallions
Since they become limp after a while, it’s advisable to only use the frozen onions when baking and cooking if you want the best results. Don’t eat them raw.
After pulling the onions from the freezer, stir them directly in your stew, sauce, or soup. The meal will still have the taste you wanted.
How To Defrost Frozen Green Onions
You won’t need to thaw your green onions unless you hadn’t divided them into serving portions earlier. The green onions thaw while you cook. If you still want to thaw your onions, move them from the freezer to the fridge. Within a few hours, they’ll be ready to use.
Are Frozen Green Onions Healthy?
Many people love incorporating fresh scallions into their daily meals.
Frozen onions are just as healthy as fresh onions. They don’t lose their nutritional value and flavor when stored well. The subtle aroma will remain for several months.
Green onions have numerous benefits. Consuming fresh or frozen green onions means getting vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. These nutrients are suitable for the heart, bones, immune system, and eyes.
Before freezing your green onions, you can eat them raw with your favorite seafood.
How To Purchase Fresh Green Onions for Best Freezing Results
The scallions you’re looking to freeze should be fresh if you want to achieve the best results.
You can get fresh green onions in your local supermarket any time of the year. When purchasing the onion, ensure that the stalks are fresh. If you observe the green tip and white end, you’ll easily tell it’s fresh produce. Avoid onions with yellow tops. Additionally, stay away from rotting or soggy green onion tips.
The unwrapped green onions held by an elastic band are the best. These onions will last longer than the ones stored in plastic bags. The unwrapped onions can easily break and get moisture. The ones in a plastic bag will rot in a few days because they lack moisture.
Can You Regrow Green Onions From Scraps?
You can easily regrow green onions using the root ends. When purchasing green onions, they’ll have a root end. Most of the time, people trim off this part and trash it because they only need the green stalks and white bulbs in their food. Instead of trashing it, use it to grow onions at home.
Why Regrow Green Onions?
You’ll save money by regrowing green onions. Most households use green onions for numerous recipes. Your budget for groceries will reduce. They will be a fresh source of ingredients for your meals every time you need them.
Additionally, green onions rot very fast. If you can re-grow them, you’ll have zero wastage.
How To Regrow Your Green Onions
The process of re-growing green onions isn’t complex. Everyone can do it in their homes without the help of an expert. Here’s an easy step-by-step guide:
- While slicing off the ends of the bulb, leave the roots of the green onion attached.
- Place the bulb root ends upright in a small jar. Put enough water in the small jar. Ensure that the water covers the roots. The top edges should be above the water.
- Set the jar on a windowsill. Always ensure roots remain moist for the best results. A few days later, you’ll notice green shoots growing from the top of the green onion bulb. From this stage, the regrowing process takes place very fast.
- The roots of the onion should always remain submerged. Keep changing the water in the jar at least once every week.
- After a week, the shoots will be more than five inches (12.7 cm) long, and you can transfer them to a pot filled with soil. Moving the green onion to soil is paramount. If left in the jar for a long time, the green shoots will get weak.
- When the green onion is big enough, cut the leaves you want and leave the plant to flourish for a while.
Summary
Freezing green onions is an excellent idea for everyone. While freezing your onions, ensure they’re in an airtight container so that you don’t get the onion odor in your freezer.
When packing the onions in the containers, you need to leave some headspace. For the best flavor, consume your frozen green onions within six months.
