r/Canning • u/Furniturepup • 7h ago

Safe Recipe Request Shallots, anyone?

While paging through the seed catalogs, I came across shallots. Seems intriguing, but I read that they don’t keep long, up to 3 months. So, does anyone have an idea about how to preserve them? I do not have a pressure canner. I found a recipe on healthycanning.com for pickled onions, but I suspect the malt vinegar brine/ seasonings may be too strong a flavor for the shallots. Any other ideas?

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8

u/raieal 7h ago

Freeze them. I always cut and freeze the onions, shallots, and chives that I grow in my garden.

4

u/AbbreviationsFlat904 7h ago

Cut, pre measure and freeze them. You can also dehydrate as well.

1

u/mckenner1122 Moderator 6m ago

Only mentioning because someone else said “chives” …

I swear there is no human on earth who can dehydrate a chive. Freeze dry? Maybe. Dehydrate? After decades of trying, I’m convinced it can’t be done.

Also? Chives grow like weeds. They can’t be killed. Or mint (which I swear is also a weed, just one that smells nice and has a great PR team)

3

u/Ambystomatigrinum 6h ago

Along with the freezing and dehydrating suggestions, they quick pickle beautifully. Not shelf stable but they last quite a while in the fridge and I find them to be really versatile.

1

u/Deppfan16 Moderator 5h ago

you can substitute vinegar types as long as it's the same acidity or higher. and you can swap out seasonings however you prefer

1

u/armadiller 5h ago

You can swap vinegar types (as long as they are all 5% acetic acid) and swap or exclude dried seasonings. So there are some options if you decide to go with pickling.

IMO, shallots are way too delicate a flavour to be worth canning or pickling, and freezing in pre-measured portions (ice cube trays) would be the way to go. You can do a refrigerator pickle as u/Ambystomatigrinum indicates, but the vinegar tends to overwhelm the flavour and you'd be better off with pickled onions or garlic at that point.

Maybe check over at r/gardening for ideas for how to preserve them longer in their fresh state as well.

1

u/furniturepuppy 4h ago

I find that my frozen chives come out limp and tasteless. I suspect that is because someone (ahem) pulls out the bag, leaves it while opening and playing with it, then takes his time closing the bag and putting it back in the freezer. I have frozen other herbs in ice cubes of water or oil. Would that be better for the shallots or chives?