From Peel to Purpose: What to Do With Onion Skins

At Hida Dream Home, we love the humble things — the ones that crinkle in our hands, whisper with memory, and disappear before they’re noticed. Onion skins are like that.

We peel them without thought, often through tears, and drop them into the bin as though they hold no worth. But in kitchens past — and in folk traditions from Romania to India — those papery layers were saved, steeped, scattered, and honoured.

Because onion skins are more than kitchen waste. They’re kitchen gold.

Why Onion Skins Matter

Though technically inedible, onion skins are rich in:

• Quercetin – a powerful anti-inflammatory antioxidant

• Potassium, iron, and calcium

• Natural plant dyes – used for cloth, yarn, and eggs

• Deep aromatic oils – that add flavour and deter pests

They carry history, utility, and a kind of quiet beauty — if you know how to use them.

7 Beautiful Ways to Use Onion Skins

1. Make Golden Broth

Onion skins add depth, colour, and soul to any stock or soup.

How to:

• Save the dry outer layers in a jar or paper bag

• Add a handful to your next pot of broth

• Simmer gently, then strain

✨ The result? A golden, grounding broth with richness that lingers.

2. Feed Your Garden with Onion Skin Tea

This is one of the simplest ways to nourish your plants.

How to:

• Soak 1 handful of skins in 1 litre of water overnight

• Strain and pour at the base of fruiting or flowering plants

🌿 High in potassium, it supports root strength, flowering, and resilience.

3. Use as Natural Dye

Onion skins are one of the oldest natural dyes — used across generations and cultures.

• Yellow/brown skins yield golden ochres and soft rusts

• Red onion skins can tint pinks, greys, or soft violets

Try it on:

• Wool yarn

• Linen napkins

• Easter eggs (pressed with herbs, Romanian-style)

🍂 The colours are earthy and seasonal — like forest light in late autumn.

4. Add to Compost (With Respect)

Tear them slightly and mix with damp greens like veg scraps or tea leaves.

• Break down quickly

• Add trace minerals

• Keep your compost balanced and lively

5. Pest-Repellent Mulch

Scatter dry skins around your garden beds to:

• Deter slugs, aphids, and even some fungal issues

• Retain moisture

• Create a light mulch for roses, beans, tomatoes, and brassicas

6. Use in Rituals of Release or Protection

Onion skins have long been used in folk magic and symbolic acts.

• Burned to clear energy

• Wrapped around written wishes and buried

• Scattered in thresholds for protection

🌬 Write a worry on paper. Wrap it in onion skin. Bury it beneath your favourite tree.

7. Make Rustic Fire Starters

Twist onion skins with dried rosemary, lavender stems, or pine needles.

How to:

• Bundle together with twine or a scrap of cloth

• Use to light your stove or garden fire

• Let the smoke carry scent, memory, and intention

🕯 Simple, fragrant, and full of folklore.

How to Store Onion Skins

• Use a jar, old tin, or brown paper bag

• Let skins dry completely before sealing

• Store yellow and red skins separately if using for dyes

• Keep them near your herbs — they deserve a place on the shelf

A Peel Is Never Just a Peel

At Hida Dream Home, we believe that what’s often discarded can become sacred again. Onion skins are one of those forgotten gifts — delicate, crinkled, and quietly powerful.

Save them.
Steep them.
Scatter them.

Let your cooking become ritual.
Let your waste become wisdom.
Let the peel find its purpose again.