The
Sweet Georgia Vidalia Onion
Jane
Linton
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OH, Those sweet Georgia Vidalia Onions! We Georgians take great pride in this great Southern heritage. The Vidalia Onion is now World known. Vidalia Onions are mild and sweet enough to eat like fruit. The sugar content of this onion is comparable to that of an apple, or a bottle of cola. This sweet mild onion can be eaten with a variety of dishes or eaten raw. It is low in calories and said to be an aid in digestion. The particular soil and climate of the Vidalia, Georgia area contribute to the mild sweet taste of the onion..
The Vidalia onion story took root in 1931 in Toombs County, Ga., when a farmer named Coleman discovered the onions he had planted weren't hot, as he had expected, but sweet! He sold those onions for $3.50 per 50-pound bag, a big price in those Great Depression days. Other farmers followed suit, and soon their farms were producing the sweet, mild onions.
In the
1940s, because Vidalia was at the juncture of some of south Georgia's most
widely traveled highways, a farmers' market there was a thriving tourist
business. Word began to spread about Vidalia onions. Consumers, then, gave
the onions their famous name. Vidalia onions began appearing on grocery
store shelves. Production grew at a slow but steady pace, reaching 600
total acres by the mid-'70s. Then a promotional push began to distribute
Vidalia onions throughout the nation. Onion festivals became an annual
event in Vidalia and nearby Glennville, and production grew tenfold over
the next decade. In 1986, Georgia passed legislation giving Vidalia onions
legal status and defining the 20-county production area. The Vidalia onion
was named Georgia's Official State Vegetable in 1990. In 1989, Vidalia
onion growers united to form Federal Marketing Order No. 955. This USDA
program established the Vidalia Onion Committee, extended the definition
of a Vidalia onion to the federal level and provided a way for growers
to jointly fund research and promotion programs. Beginning in 1990, technology
borrowed from the apple industry was adapted to begin the controlled atmosphere
(CA) storage of Vidalia onions. Now, 70 million pounds of Vidalia onions
can be put into CA storage for up to six months, extending Vidalia onion
sales into the fall holiday season.
The Vidalia onion is a Georgia-grown, yellow granex hybrid known for its sweet, mild flavor. Vidalia onions have an international reputation as the world's sweetest onion. Their mild flavor is due to the unique combination of soils and climate in the 20-county production area. About 275 growers cultivate Vidalia onions on 12,000 acres. About 150 handlers grade, pack and distribute Vidalias. An average of 300 50-pound bags are produced per acre. The industry's annual Vidalia onion harvest brings some $50 million directly into Georgia's economy. The economic impact is an estimated $145-150 million. About 70 percent of the Vidalia crop is distributed through grocery stores as a specialty item. The remaining 30 percent is distributed through roadside stands and mail order businesses. Generally recognized Vidalia onion sizes are small (1 to 2 1/4 inches), medium (2 to 3 inches) and large or jumbo (over 3 inches). Vidalia onions are harvested from late April through mid-June. Retailers usually have fresh Vidalia onions available through mid-July. Controlled atmosphere storage research makes Vidalia onions available through December. Farmers plant Vidalia onions from September through February. About 70,000 plants are produced per acre. Vidalia's delicate nature requires that they be harvested by hand, thoroughly dried and treated gently during grading and packaging.
