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Texas Onions
Page 2

THE VIDALIA ONION

by John Troesser

The Vidalia Onion

Toombs County, Georgia is acknowledged to be the birthplace of the Vidallia Onion. Georgia had been having a problem with weeds that were growing faster than the locally planted onion sets. Texas transplants, it was hoped, would give the farmers a much-needed head start and so Texas Granex onions from Carrizo Springs (near Cotulla) were shipped there in 1952.

Mose Coleman, a Georgia farmer discovered one day that his onions lacked the expected characteristic bite. The onion's mildness is attributed to the soil found in a 20 county area. (Only onions grown in these counties - or selected parts of a few others can market onions under the Vidalia name.)

Farmer Coleman had a hard time at first convincing people to bite into his onions, but when they did they became believers. Soon it seemed that everyone in Southern Georgia was growing sweet mild onions.

In 1952, Vidalia was a small Georgia town that wasn't famous for anything in particular. It was a junction of two major highways, however, and hosted a farmer's market that did a good business with tourists going and coming from Florida. These produce buying tourists spread the word about these onions and soon magazine ads appeared (right next to the mail order Chihuahuas in teacups). The name Vidalia was being fused with the "world's sweetest onion."

Memphis based Piggly Wiggly Markets started handling them by name in the 50s and 60s and onion festivals in Vidalia and nearby Glennville, Georgia pushed awareness.

Production increased tenfold in ten years and soon 14,000 acres were in cultivation. Georgia's Vidalia harvest brings in $50 million annually.


« Texas Onions, page 1

© John Troesser April 3, 2004 Column


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