Campbell Vaughn: Latest crop of Vidalia onions are now on sale. Learn why they are so special.
What was the significance of April 17 in Georgia Agriculture? It was the first day set by the Georgia Department of Agriculture that the oh so delicious Vidalia onion could be packaged and sold.
Fried onion ring lovers unite. BLTs can be taken to the next level. Hamburgers no longer need to taste so bland.
Hurray for April 17. In the Vidalia Onion world that official day is called “Pack Date.”
I have some buddies in Extension that live in Tattnall County, which is in the middle of Vidalia onion country, and I can always get the good news on what happening in the Georgia onion world. Senior Agent, Aubrey Shirley shared some of his insight into this year’s crop.
Seeds were planted in September. New plants were transplanted from October to January for a harvest that started this week and will run into next month. With 10,000 acres planted, Aubrey liked to point out that a little less than half of all those Vidalia’s come from his county of Tattnall with a Farm Gate value of $69.5 million.
This year’s crop took some hits with some downy mildew disease issues, but the overall crop looks good. Senior Agent Shirley said that the low temperatures in January were of a concern, but the way we warmed up from late January to the current harvest did a lot to move the onions in a positive direction. Although the disease levels were above average, timely applications of treatments led to a good harvest this year.
What is it that makes the Vidalia onion so special? To keep the Vidalia onion a Georgia only commodity, Georgia passed legislation in 1986 giving Vidalia onions legal status. This legislation also defined the 20-county production area where the only place in the world that can have the name Vidalia onion can only be grown in 20 counties in Georgia.
Campbell Vaughn: The clock is ticking. Start your spring landscape task list now.
The reason the Georgia State Vegetable is so sweet isn’t because of what is added to the soil, but what isn’t in it. Sulfur is naturally occurring in the farming soil, but in Tattnall County and the other 19 surrounding Vidalia onion producing counties, sulfur levels are low. The result is a milder taste with less heat. So, the sweet taste is the big motivation we keep coming back every year for more delicious Vidalias.
Vidalia onions are Georgia’s No. 1 vegetable commodity, which produces over 200 million pounds of product. According to the Vidalia Onion Committee, this commodity has an economic value averaging $150 million yearly.
Shelf lives for Vidalias can be a challenge to growers, but beginning in 1990, technology borrowed from the apple industry was adapted to begin the controlled atmosphere storage of Vidalia onions. With production typically lasting from April to June, 125 million pounds of Vidalia onions can be put into controlled storage for up to seven months. This allows for extended Vidalia onion sales into the fall holiday season.
Like Girl Scouts with their annual cookie sale fundraiser, some of Georgia’s 230,000 kids involved in UGA’s 4-H program use the sale of Vidalia onions to raise money for scholarships, projects and other activities. Participating 4-H’rs get “onion credit” based on what they sell.
If you would like to purchase some Vidalia onions for the Richmond County 4-H fundraiser to ,end some of our local 4-Hr’s to summer camp, we are taking orders at the UGA Extension office until April 30. We have 5-, 10-, 25- and 50-pound bags available for this great cause.
If you would like an order form, we will be glad to email you one. Contact us at uge3245@uga.edu. The form is also on our UGA Richmond County website. Pickup will be May 7 at the Georgia State Farmers Market at 1150 5th Street in downtown Augusta from 1-6 p.m.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Vidalia onions are Georgia's official vegetable and now are on sale
