Onions are something I always love to have on hand because so many recipes call for them and they add so much flavor! However, there used to be many times my onions would go bad before I could get to them. I would buy several when they went on sale thinking I would be able to use them before they went bad- but ultimately I could only use 1 or 2 before they starting getting moldy or soft. And nothing is more frustrating than wasted food!

However, the waste of onions took a serious decline once I learned this neat little trick. It’s a unique way of storing onions and garlic- and it has truly worked! It involves paper bags, a hole punch, and some hand muscle;).

Take a brown paper bag and fold it in half, then in half again (lengthwise).

This will help to cut down the amount of hole punching you need to do; I promise your hands will be wanting as much of a break as possible with all the hole punching you will be doing- but it will be worth it when you grab that onion 2 months later and it’s still as fresh as the day you bought it from the store!

Starting above the crease, punch two rows of holes all the way to the top of the bag.

Unfold and mark your bag with whatever its contents will be (e.g. red onions, yellow onions, garlic). I find it easier to label them on the bottom, but if you will be keeping yours in a drawer or container, it would probably be smart to label them on the top after folding it down a few times. That way you don’t have to pull out all the bags to find the one garlic clove;).

Once you’ve placed your produce in the appropriate bag, fold the top down a couple of times and secure with a paper clip.

The source where I found this trick mentioned that she keeps her bags in a drawer in the kitchen. I have kept mine in our food closet where it is dark and cooler than the rest of the house, and it’s worked great. My onions easily last 2-3 months and usually that’s about when I get around to using them all.

Do you have any tricks or tips to storing onions and helping them keep longer? I’d love to hear! Share your thoughts in the comments below!