Curing Shallots - Need Help Fast

I just harvested my shallots, I'm totally thrilled with the huge pile I got from just a few bulbs.
I can't find a clear answer about how to cure / dry them.
Some say dry for a month.
Some say dry for 1 week.
Some say in the sun.
Some say no sun, but in a dry ventilated place out of the sun.
Do you rinse off the dirt first?
Doesn't seem wise to rinse them after you dry them.
Thanks in advance
Dovey

Dovey, I can only tell you from my own experience and not what any experts might say. I love growing shallots (plus leeks and garlic) because they are SO expensive to buy and I love cooking with them!

I rinse mine when I dig them, and then put them on a screen in the shade for a week or two with good air circulation, depending on the weather. If it's rainy and humidity is high and it's damp, I might leave them to "cure" for 2 weeks or even more, but not usually.

Test them by "feel"... if they start to feel papery on the outside, I'd think they would be cured enough to store.

Hope this helps!

Darius,
I did a google search and only got sketchy information.
I'll take the experience of a gardener over "experts" (who can never seem to agree) any day.

Thank you so much, I knew I could count on the people here.


Dovey

I'm growing shallots this year for the first time. When do you know to harvest them? I have lots of nice shoots/tops/whatever. What is the signal to harvest them?
Do they topple over or go brown?

Thanks in advance.

They will turn yellow and then brown, much as tulips do. I try to leave mine in the ground as long as possible for the largest size.

Thanks, darius. Here's another (off-topic) newbie question:
When do you put in/harvest your leeks and garlic? I'm new to
NC and don't have a good sense of when to plant for
a fall crop. Thanks.

I usually start 2 kinds of leeks. The first, a var. that grows quickly but doesn't store nor overwinter in the ground well, I start in the early spring. One that ovewrwinters in the ground well I start any time now.

Garlic I do in September, although I've had some good garlic started in early April and harvested in the fall.

Thanks. I will report back.

I've been growing garlic, onions, shallots in between roses, etc here since April, great luck, I leave them in the ground till I need them, when they dry too quickly and still baby size, I wash them, leave on a shelf in a dry dark place till papery again, and replant. i started doing that when We lived in Southern Cal with great result.

Now that you all brought up garlic... I planted it between my roses as well.
When I tried some it was VERY strong and hot.
I tried it fresh, does it need to cure to mellow out a bit?
We love garlic, but this was a bit much, even for us.
Dovey
PS, the shallots have cured nicely *S*