We were driving from Macon across middle Georgia on I-16 toward the coast, when the exit for Vidalia flashed by.  To my surprise, we were in the heart of Vidalia onion country, a region touching 20 of the state’s 159 counties, where the famously sweet onions are grown. 

The town of Vidalia, about 20 minutes south of the highway, is the source for the sought-after seasonal onions. It was the week before the annual Vidalia Onion Festival, which marks the shipping of the crop. 

Onions with a release date and their own festival! I had to know more. 

It turns out that Georgia law sets the places where the onions can be grown, lists the approved varieties, and specifies the cultivation methods.  The Georgia Agricultural Commissioner establishes the release date for the roughly 200 million pounds that are shipped every year.  

Vidalias taste different.  They’re not the onions called for in the first step of countless recipes, onions which build a foundation of flavor for almost any savory dish.    

With a low sulfur content from the unique Georgia soil, the sugar content is more than double that of the un-pedigreed.  These are onions you can eat like an apple if you’re so inclined. I’m not. 

The mildly-flavored sweet Vidalias are great raw in sandwiches, salads, and burgers. But the high sugar makes them an excellent candidate for caramelizing.  Low, slow cooking brings out the flavor and a gorgeous golden-brown color.

It’s no wonder that demand is high during the short April-to-August season.  You can get Vidalias year round, but they’re best in the harvest season. Wayne Trowbridge, of the produce department at the Main Avenue Stop and Shop, told me that customers are eager for them, especially now when the season is just cranking up.

Vidalias and summer are made for each other. Try them in salsas with some mango, peach, or watermelon, a jalapeño for kick, and some fresh herbs like cilantro or tarragon. It’s a sure-fire bet with any fresh fish off the grill.  

Thin slices in slaw add a sweet dimension. Potato salad dressed with either mayonnaise or vinaigrette is a natural for Vidalias.  Of course they’re great for onion rings or kabobs. 

A long-time favorite recipe from thecookful.com is to roast the onions in foil with a bullion cube and a pat of butter for a side dish that has the aroma and flavor of onion soup.  Roasted in a  twisted turban of foil, the onions cook for an hour or so.  The simple recipe yields silky, fragrant onions that melt in your mouth, “delicious,” according to a recent dinner guest.

Roasted Vidalias

Try them in a classic Alsatian onion tart, quiche Lorraine, or baked onion dip.  If your smothering pork chops or braising swiss steak, include Vidalias in season.  

Paula Deen, the southern queen of cholesterol, has a recipe for a Vidalia Onion Casserole.  If you’re throwing your diet out the window, the mix of onions, evaporated milk, Ritz crackers, and cheese sounds like a winner. 

Because of their high sugar content, Vidalias are best stored in the refrigerator more like fresh produce than a typical onion.  They will keep at room temperature, and you’ll see them binned in the produce department, but they’ll be sweeter when kept cold.  

Quiche Lorraine

Although similar in color, Vidalias look quite different from ubiquitous yellow or spanish onions. Flattish, a little like a flying saucer, and ribbed with lines of longitude they’re easy to spot in the store. 

This year the Vidalia Onion festival kicked off five days of celebration on April 22. There was lots of local flavor including a carnival, monster trucks, country-western headliners, arts and crafts, and the Vidalia Onion Run, along with a recipe contest and public tasting. Sounds like fun and not too different from our annual oyster festival. 

Ask any fan and they’ll tell you that the onions are worthy of the celebration.

Frank Whitman can be reached at NotBreadAloneFW@gmail.com.