Juicy sweet Vidalia onions coming to local stores, markets after April 25
Those of you who have been wondering when sweet Vidalia onions will begin to show up on store shelves — replacing the fall and winter product from Peru — ponder no more.
The Georgia Department of Agriculture said Monday it has set April 25 as the “official” day that packing and shipping can begin for Georgia’s cash crop that is grown in a 20-county region in the southeastern portion of the state, with Vidalia, Ga., serving as a hub and Lyons, Ga., home to the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center.
The bottom line for Vidalia lovers: Retailers could have them for sale within a week or so after April 25. A year ago, the pack and ship start date was April 27.
“The worst thing we can do is start too early,” Brett McLain, owner of McLain Farms, which grows the onions, said in a statement from the state agency. He also is chairman of an advisory council to the state agriculture department. “In the past we’ve done just that and have shipped immature onions and it has just about ruined our industry.”
It’s essentially a rite of the spring season for food lovers who enjoy Vidalia onions, which are raised in low-sulfur sandy soil with plenty of moisture to help give them a sweet flavor perfect for salad dishes and cooking. Some people have been known to eat them raw with meals. In contrast, year-round yellow onions have a stronger flavor, including a pungent spicy bite at times, due to their higher sulfuric-acid content.
When it comes to onions, the name Vidalia is so sensitive that the Georgia General Assembly in 1986 mandated that the Georgia Department of Agriculture protect the integrity of the product. It was declared the state vegetable in 1990. Through the years, some growers have jumped the gun on packing and shipping the onions to market, creating controversy and forcing some onions to be thrown away.
“I know that every family farmer in Georgia that grows Vidalia onions wants to put the best product on the market every day,” said agriculture commissioner Gary Black. “It’s not just about being first to market with something. It’s about going to market on the first day with the best.”
There were about 268 million pounds of Vidalias harvested in Georgia last year at a value of $120 million, according to federal statistics. That was up from 258 million pounds valued at $108 million in 2014.
The popularity of Vidalias, combined with their relatively brief growing and store sale period, has prompted growers to seek out similar growing conditions elsewhere, including in the South American country of Peru. That is the most common origin of sweet onions sold in supermarkets and farmer’s markets here in Columbus and beyond from about August through March.
This story was originally published April 11, 2016 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Juicy sweet Vidalia onions coming to local stores, markets after April 25."