Red Onions and Shallots

The ground was too wet yesterday to dig up onions and shallots. And I have been taught in Latvia not to dig up onions in wet weather, but on a sunny day and then let them dry outside in the sun. Today was a perfect day for onion harvest--not a cloud in the sky and low humidity.

To the left are red onions. My father-in-law bought seed onions in March at some farm. To the right are random shallots. I got a few three years ago at our grocery store and they have done well. I will keep about a third from each to plant early next spring. I store them in brown paper bag in a cabinet under a stovetop. I've been told that onions and the likes should be kept in fairly warm and definitely dry place; if storage is too cold, an onion will put all it's energy into creating a big bloom, but will not create a new bulb.
There are a few beets also... a bit on a small size. I wrap beets in foil and roast them in oven for about 45 minutes, but these small ones do not take that long.

I also cut couple of dill seed heads. I'll sow part of these seeds later this summer for fresh dill in fall and the rest will have to wait until next spring.

In another corner, zinnias are blooming. I have only two colors this year--orange and purple. The orange ones are my favorite.

Spearmint is blooming, too. Small insects are buzzing around.
A small butterfly on blazing star.
And one of my hen-and-chicks also is blooming.
This one's the first for my garden.