Georgia Magazine - April 2014 - (Page 46)

Southern, sweet Vidalia onions-for the win! BY REBECCA LANG REBECCA LANG A Rebecca Lang's tasty Two-Way Vidalia Sliders With Toasted Pecan Mayonnaise pack a double punch of Vidalia onions and melted blue cheese. unique pleasure of growing up in the land of Vidalia onions is seeing green sprouts exploding through the sandy soil in nearly all directions just as the weather begins to warm. The famous sweet onions are a natural part of life and so well infused in many aspects that for some, no other onions exist. It's not uncommon for those who call Vidalia home to eat the onions raw like apples. From whole, crunchy bites to slow-cooked golden hues, Vidalias are a sweet reﬂection of Georgia on plates all over America. The blessed soil stretches through a 20-county area in Southeast Georgia. The low-sulfur soil prevents the stronger, hotter qualities of other onions from developing. All winter, the bulbs are nestled in the unique soil, growing ready for market by spring. In the 1940s, sweet onions from Vidalia became popular as a farmstand delicacy and quickly spread throughout the state as a sought-after vegetable. As more and more cooks fell in love with the mild and friendly ﬂavor, these homegrown lilies paved the way for sweet onions in this country. Vidalia onions were the ﬁrst sweet onion to be marketed and sold in stores. The onions now are distributed nationwide and have annual sales of $150 million. "One of the top culinary trends for 2014 is sourcing locally grown food. Vidalia onions are a Georgiagrown product that not only tastes great, but supports local farmers and builds the community. More and more, consumers are becoming conscious of how local and sustainable products can have a beneﬁcial impact," says Karen Bremer, executive director of the Atlanta-based Georgia Restaurant Association. Since the 1980s the growing region has been carefully deﬁned, and the name Vidalia is trademarked and owned by the state. The crop is federally protected as well. In similar fashion to the legal protections covering products like Champagne and Asiago cheese, onions labeled as Vidalia must be grown only in the designated area. About 12,000 acres of Vidalia onions are planted each year in the fall. Farming the onions is a huge responsibility for those who make enjoying the sweet vegetable possible for all of us. REBECCA LANG GDEcD Vidalia onions are Georgia Grown beauties and the state's ofﬁcial vegetable. Known for their sweetness, Vidalia onions are grown in a 20-county area of South Georgia. 46 More online at www.georgiamagazine.org "Being able to include myself on the list of growers who have helped shape this industry into what it has become is an opportunity I am grateful for. As a young farmer, we are faced with the challenges of continuing to grow and focus on the qualities and values of our ﬁne product to continue to be the best sweet onion on the shelves," says grower and former Vidalia Onion Committee Chairman Aries Haygood of Lyons. The Vidalia onion season begins in April and lasts throughout summer. There are a few essential tricks to GEORGIA MAGAZINE http://www.georgiamagazine.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Georgia Magazine - April 2014

Georgia Magazine - April 2014
Contents
Viewpoint
Mailbox
Liberty Notes
Picture This?
Georgia News
Calendar of Events
Festival Guide
Georgia's Energy Outlook
Currents
Falling in love with Georgia
More on GPB and Georgia Grown
Organ donations: The gift of self
More on organ donation
A wee, whimsical place
Catch spring fever!
More on travel across the Southeast
Visiting covered bridges
Around Georgia
My Georgia
Georgia Gardens
Georgia Cooks
Second helping: More Vidalia recipes
Snapshot!
More Snapshot photos
Plant of the month
April’s online trivia contest
Georgia Grown spotlight

Georgia Magazine - April 2014