How to choose the right green onions?

Most often, green onions are sold fresh. Sometimes greens are packaged and frozen. It is recommended to buy fresh onions and, if possible, choose them with small onions. The cling film helps unscrupulous sellers hide the signs of spoilage of greens, so when unpacking the bundle, you can get an unpleasant surprise.

Green onions should not be watery, lethargic, wrinkled, or dry. It is not recommended to buy feathers of record large sizes. Unrealistically long green onions can be grown with a lot of chemicals applied to boost growth.

Frozen green onions lose some of their taste, so it is better to buy them in case of emergency. After freezing, feathers must retain their presentation and color. If frozen green onions have acquired a darkened color of feathers, then you should not buy them.

How to choose green onions

The choice of green onions is primarily based on two criteria: appearance and smell. Greens can vary by cultivar, and have thick or thin feathers of varying lengths. Onions with thick feathers have a richer taste, and thin varieties are suitable for cooking where a distinct onion taste is not desirable.

What green onions can you buy:

• green onion feathers should have a rich dark green color;
• green onions should be dense and not lethargic;
• feathers should be free of stains, wet areas and dry ends;
• the border between the green and white part of the feathers should be pronounced (this nuance indicates the juiciness and quality of green onions);
• the aroma of fresh green onions is always rich and moderately pungent;
• green onions should be dry (if the greens are packaged in containers, then there should be no drops of moisture on the walls).

It is recommended to buy green onions with white feather bases. It will last longer and will taste richer than the cut options. In addition, along the white border, you can determine some of the nuances of the taste characteristics of green onions.

What green onions should not be bought:

• mucus in any quantity on the feathers of green onions should be a reason for refusing to buy greens;
• bloom of any color on the surface of green onions appears with excessive use of chemical fertilizers or the use of tricks to increase the shelf life of greens;
• onions, on the feathers of which dry tips have appeared, will lose moisture and will be less juicy;
• sluggish feathers with spots or dark dots can be found in green onions in the presence of diseases;
• yellow spots indicate infection by bacteria or harmful microorganisms;
• if there is moisture in the container with green onions, then the greens are already spoiled or will soon spoil;
• if green onions are sold with bulbs, then they should be as small and fresh as possible (if the bulbs are dried up, then the feathers will not be juicy);
• green onions without a characteristic odor will have poor taste characteristics;
• the vague border between the green and white parts of the feathers indicates the harshness of the taste characteristics of green onions;
• the lack of aroma of green onions should alert the buyer (onions were grown in greenhouses under the influence of numerous fertilizers);
• buying green onions with broken tips of feathers should also be avoided (bacteria accumulate at the site of damage, and with long-term storage of such onions, their number grows at a rapid pace);
• the presence of extraneous odors in the aroma of onions (earth, bitterness, rot, etc.) indicates the beginning of the decay process.

By color, you can determine the pungency of the taste of green onions. The darker its color, the more pungent it will taste. It is not recommended to wash all green onions immediately after purchase. It is better to rinse only the feathers that you plan to eat, and put the rest in the refrigerator.