What is a Vidalia Onion - Morris Farms (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between a Vidalia onion and a regular onion? ›

A Vidalia onion is a type of sweet onion. It has a mild flavor, a uniquely flat shape, and a relatively high sugar content. The soil in Vidalia, Georgia has an unusually low amount of sulfur — that's why this variety is more sweet than sharp. It doesn't have the pungent, intensely acidic flavor of other onions.

Vidalia Onions have developed an international reputation as the “world's sweetest onion.” Their mild flavor is due to the unique combination of soils and climate found in the 20 county production area. Through Federal regulation, the Vidalia Onion growers developed Federal Marketing Order No.

Arguably Georgia's most famous agricultural product, the sweet Vidalia Onion has its roots deep in Tattnall County's soil with more than half the annual crop coming from our county and the nation's largest grower, packer and shipper of sweet onions headquartered in Glennville.

In 1982 Delbert Bland and his late father, Raymond, began growing Vidalia® sweet onions on just five acres at Bland Farms. Today, Bland Farms is the largest producer of the Vidalia sweet onion volume annually.

Vidalias are grown from the seed of a short-day yellow granex onion that was actually discovered in Texas. But it's the low sulfur in Georgia's sandy soil that is said to give the onions grown there a distinctive sweetness. The region's climate is also an integral part of the Vidalia onion's success.

Vidalia Onion Storage & Prep Tips

Wrap sweet onions separately in paper towels or newspaper and store in the refrigerator. Store sweet onions in the legs of clean, sheer pantyhose by tying a knot between each onion and hanging the hose in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area.

While their color is similar to the yellow onion, white onions have a thinner, more-papery skin. They are also known for their consistently milder flavor, making them a better choice for serving raw.

And the Walla Walla soil and growing conditions give that onion a more complex flavor profile "that tells you that this is an onion," he says. The Vidalia may be milder or sweeter, but to Dean, flavor makes the winner. Ultimately, it may be availability that dictates which onion you buy.

Yellow Onions: The general cooking onion. Usually relatively cheap and plentiful, they're the go-to onion when cooks get cooking. The flavour is strong but mild, with an onion flavour that isn't overpowering. They often have a bit of sweetness to them, they caramelize nicely and they hold up well when cooked.

Substitutes for Vidalia Onions

There are many other types of sweet onions available, including Walla-Walla (after the city in Washington State) and Texas Sweets, and these can easily be used in any recipe calling for Vidalia Onions.

Can you plant a Vidalia onion? ›

Vidalia sweet onion seeds, just before they're planted. These seeds can be planted anywhere, but to grow a Vidalia sweet onion, they must be planted within the 20-county growing region in Southeast Georgia. Vidalia onion seeds are dropped by specialized planting equipment into the prepared soil.

Vidalia onions are available for a limited time each year, between April through early September. The pack date is determined by soil and weather conditions during the growing season, which contributes to high-quality Vidalia onions.

Onions grow in or near many of the same regions as potatoes. The United States harvests about 125,000 acres, producing 6.75 billion pounds each year. The four largest production regions are Washington, Idaho-Eastern Oregon, California, and West-Central Oregon.

The Vidalia sweet onion, declared the official state vegetable in 1990, is perhaps the greatest agricultural success story in Georgia's history. Mose Coleman, a Toombs County farmer, is believed to have been the first grower of the now popular commodity.

So, yes, we can grow both yellow and white Granex onions in Texas, but for them to be technically Vidalia onions they must be grown in Vidalia, Georgia. The sweetness of the Vidalia and Texas' own Noonday onion is claimed to be due to the soil in which they are grown.

Well, you can use whatever you want. If it's just some generalized onion flavor backup you're after, it doesn't really matter. All three onions will do the job just fine. It's really up to you to decide if you want a little color or sweetness or sharpness.

Raw Vidalia onions are great on sandwiches, salmon burgers and with falafel, and can be put in a quick pickle to both preserve the onion and enhance the flavor. Vidalia onions also taste great roasted and caramelized, which brings out the vegetable's sweetness.

Yellow Onions: The general cooking onion. Usually relatively cheap and plentiful, they're the go-to onion when cooks get cooking. The flavour is strong but mild, with an onion flavour that isn't overpowering. They often have a bit of sweetness to them, they caramelize nicely and they hold up well when cooked.

The Vidalia Onion is certainly unique in all the world. The sugar content of this onion is comparable to that of an apple, or a bottle of cola. It's a mild, succulent onion that is delicious raw on hamburgers, sliced alongside your steak, in a garden salad, or just eaten raw.