I love green onions in my omelets and saimin noodles. The trouble is that it goes rather quickly. We found quite by accident how to store green onions.
My Mother loves to make things simple for cooking. She'd buy vegetables, clean them, and store them in paper towels in Ziploc bags in the refrigerator, so you can quickly add them to your cooking. She did that with green onions one day.
We didn't get to the green onions until two weeks later. This time when she stored the green onions she cut them up and just put them in double paper towel lengths, so it won't tear, and capped it with a rubber band, so it wouldn't come apart when you picked it up.
We found that the refrigerator had dehydrated the green onions. It tasted like the parsley herbs we buy in the plastic bottles. Though it didn't have the taste of fresh green onions, it still was edible and had some of its original taste. It stores nicely and nothing goes to waste, when you use this little tip we found by accident.
By hawaiihibou from Honolulu, HI
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I cut the whole bunch of green onions (scallions) when I bring them home from the store. In a plastic bag or plastic container with a paper towel, they last so much longer than uncut in the crisper-where they always get slimy too quickly.
Storage Of Green Onions. Put them in a tall ceramic vase with a little water and cover with a plastic bag and put in fridge, much like florists protect their blooms.
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Thanks for all the responses about cilantro. How does one keep purchased fresh green onions fresh AND for as long as possible? I have tried wrapping them in paper towel, putting them in a plastic bag and storing in a cool (not cold) part of refrigerator but it doesn't seem to work. The green part goes first followed by the white part if I keep them long enough.
Green onions, and all kinds of greens (lettuce, etc) last much longer if you wrap them in something dry and then put them in a plastic bag. I used to use paper towels before I got thrifty--now I use pieces of muslin (thin cotton cloth), which I wash and reuse.
I don't try to keep green onions for a long time. I either use within 2 days or I clean and cut them up and freeze in a baggie for cooking. I have even taken them out of the freezer and used in salads or on tacos without anyone noticing that they have been frozen. I just don't tell.....
Trim some of the green stems, leave the roots on and store in a tall glass jar (instant coffee type) and put a very small amount of water in the bottom and seal the onions in the jar and store in the 'fridge.
Wrap them completely in aluminum foil immediately when you get them home from the grocery store. They will keep for a couple weeks this way. I don't clean them until I am ready to use them. This also works for keeping celery, and it doesn't even get limp....stays nice and crisp.
I have come to think that one reason produce goes bad so quickly in the refrigerator is because it is constantly getting sprayed in the store. I have taken to putting everything I bring home into a colander to let all of the water drain off of it. With green onions, I cut part of the tops off, and store them in a Glad Fresh Protect bag. You can also purchase special bags that are designed for holding produce. The Glad Fresh Protect bags usually keep stuff pretty fresh for as long as three weeks. To make sure that I get rid of as much moisture as possible, I often dry stuff with a paper or dish towel before putting it into the refrigerator. I have also used Tupperware FridgeSmart containers, and they are fabulous, but I don't think they are made any more.
you wash, chop it and put in sealer bag then put it in the freezer. It will not burn and it stays fresh for a long time..
I just pop them in a glass of water, they keep at (normal) room temperatures for up to a week and if they were fresh when you bought them, they grow some more! (in length not quantity), So more for your money. Chris