Barbara H. Peterson
Seasonings can be spendy, and full of things that we don’t really want to put into our bodies. So, how can you make sure that you get 100% organic, healthy seasonings? One way is to grow and prepare them yourself. Here is a simple way to make onion powder using Egyptian Walking Onions. They are extremely easy to keep, as they come back every year by themselves, and the harvest is bountiful.
Here is where it starts, at the onion bed. These onions will develop a cluster of small bulbs that can be harvested and eaten – delicious!
Step 1
Harvest the tops of your Walking Onions by simply grabbing the top cluster of bulbs and popping them off. Rinse, and let dry.
Step 2
Cut off any dead and/or woody parts and peel off the tough outer skin.
Step 3
Take a food processor and place the slicing blade in it.
Step 4
Put the top on the processor, fill the tube with your prepared onions, place the pusher on top, and turn on the processor. Fill as needed. Watch out, as they like to pop out when you remove the pusher to put more in.
Step 5
Remove sliced onions from the processor and place in large colander under fan to dry, stirring and turning often to prevent spoilage.
Step 6
When dry, either store in sealed container for later, or place in coffee grinder to make onion powder.
Step 7
Enjoy!!!
Barbara H. Peterson
Surviving the Middle Class Crash 
July 28, 2012 at 8:25 am
Hi Barb. After seeing you on OA, I was really happy to see your blog. I made a post on the OA show’s site – thanks for your reply about homesteading and sustainability. I’m living in Fair Oaks, CA and make handcrafted vegan soap. I’d like to send you a complimentary bar because you and Tank are so inspiring! If you are comfortable with that, please email or friend me on FB at Rene Nitz and we can keep in touch.
As for your onion powder post, how long do the onions take to dry out before you can grind them? Thanks!
July 28, 2012 at 9:39 am
Hi Rene,
Good to hear from you! Sent the FB request. Drying time depends on humidity, heat, air flow, and density of the onions. The climate here is very dry, and I fill the colander about a quarter to a third of the way full so that they can get maximum air flow. This process takes about a week to get all of the moisture out and ready for grinding to powder. It is really important for storage to have them as dry as possible to eliminate spoilage, so more time to make sure is better than rushing the process.
August 10, 2012 at 7:47 am
Could you use a dehydrator to dry them out? Or is it better to let them air dry naturally?
August 10, 2012 at 7:54 am
Yes, Tiffany, you can use a dehydrator. I just air dry things here because the air is so dry where I am and it is a simple process.
July 28, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Thanks for going through the process step by step. Its details such as this that I have been looking for especially when it comes to collecting seeds for next years garden. I have returned to growing a limited garden and buy heirloom seeds. It may sound like something so obvious for everyone but I’ve been stumped as to how to cultivate / collect seeds for such herbs as basil, dill, sages and even oregano. A tutorial in the area where gardening informaiton as to where the seeds on each plant are, when to harvest the seeds and then how to dry and keep them.
Any help / suggestions would be appriciated.
July 28, 2012 at 9:50 pm
Here you go, Netta: How to Harvest, Process, and Store Vegetable Seeds https://survivingthemiddleclasscrash.wordpress.com/2009/03/23/how-to-harvest-process-and-store-vegetable-seeds/.