Georgia's Vidalia onions are coming to stores near you
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Vidalia onions will be available from April through early September. Photo: Georgia Department of Agriculture.
Spring is here, and that means you'll soon be able to spruce up your recipes with Georgia's own Vidalia onions.
Why it matters: The famous sweet onions are only available from April to early September.
Driving the news: This year's "pack date" for Vidalia onions is April 15, the Georgia Department of Agriculture said in a news release.
- The date is "based on soil and weather conditions during the growing season, ensuring that only the highest quality onions reach consumers," the department said.
How it works: The onions are planted by hand, and are harvested after the designated date to ensure "peak freshness" by the time they arrive in stores, according to the agency.
By the numbers: This year, 10,000 acres of Vidalia onions were planted in 20 counties across southeast Georgia, said Cliff Riner, chair of the Vidalia Onion Committee.
Threat level: Hurricane Helene last year and the snowfall this year walloped Georgia's agriculture industry, but the Vidalia onion crop withstood the challenges with only minor damage, Shane Curry, executive director of the committee, said in a statement.
Flashback: In the 1980s, farmers across Georgia began lobbying to protect their crop and the onion's name. In 1989, federal marketing order No. 955 established production and market research for the crop.
- The marketing order is administered by the Vidalia Onion Committee.
- Along with Georgia state laws, the order also protects the trademark of the Vidalia onion.
The bottom line: Farmers can grow sweet onions in other areas, but they can't call them Vidalia unless they are from the Peach State, making them like our very own version of Champagne.