I grow shallots instead of onions. Why? Because shallots are $4.99/pound and onions are cheap. Besides they taste wonderful sautéed in any dish. This season I grew Dutch shallot bulbs that I got from Payne’s nurseries here in Santa Fe. I like them a lot as they are not tiny like some other shallots are. So this weekend I picked all the shallots that I started last October-November. I got a ton! Well not quite, but a lot! Here is a picture of them ‘curing’. Curing shallots is about properly drying them so they last longer in storage for winter. After you pick them you need to let them dry out completely before cutting off the stems which takes about 3 weeks. Then cut off the stems when they are dry, put them in a mesh bag and put in a cool dark place. Where do I get mesh bags? Trader Joes puts their lemons and onions in mesh bags and I save them to use for my shallots and garlic that I grow.
giantveggiegardener 
Jannine,
Thanks for the Shallot info.
Gene
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Hello, thanks for the tips about curing shallots. I used to buy huge shallots from friends in my home town who market garden for a living. This year I decided to try them for myself and got the name of the type they use and some info on how they grow them. They have turned out wonderfully and are the size of small onions and the flavor is fantastic! If you like larger shallots you might like to give these a try. They are called “Ambition” and are a French shallot that is started from seed inside in late \Feb/ early March, then transplanted into the garden 4 to 6 weeks later (depending on your frost dates).
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