Dave Foulk Internet Flyer

Way down in south Georgia there’s a place called Toombs County.  It’s not at the end of the earth, but I think you can see it from there.  They grow a lot of onions in Toombs County. The genetic type is no different than onions you can grow anywhere.  The difference is the rich, Georgia soil and the perfect combination of minerals, rainfall,and climate. It all comes together to produce the sweetest onions on the planet, the Vidalia onion.

Vidalias have more per pound sugar content than Coca-Cola. I know that because the Toombs County folks say so, and they did the test. In a few weeks, the first small onions will come into the market.  Then, in a few days, The Georgia Farmers Market will take on an oniony aroma as tons and tons of Vidalias will be shipped to Atlanta for distribution all over the place.

They’re not much cheaper at the Farmers Market, but they are really fresh from the field. I used to buy fifty pound bags and then divvy up the contents for distribution to more unfortunate folks in the northern climes who had to buy them at premium price for only a short period of time each year.

There’s nothing like a charcoal grilled hamburger with a slice of Grainger County, Tennessee tomato and a slice of Toombs County, Georgia onion.  It’s one of those simple things in life that you only miss when you can’t get it anymore. 

Chop up a Vidalia and sprinkle it into some “soup beans”- pinto beans for those who don’t know better- add a slice of cornbread with some real cow butter and a big glass of southern “sweet tea” and you’re set to go.

It’s a felony in Georgia to sell some old “hot” onion labeled as a Vidalia.  Some “onionleggers” as they were dubbed were prosecuted. They were mixing in regular onions with Vidalias. You know, a couple of good ‘uns in the top of the basket and the rest were duds from Texas, or Mexico, even from out of The United States- from Florida. Now,  there’s a little label that’s supposed to be on each onion.

They have a Vidalia festival in (where else) Vidalia, Georgia where they even make Vidalia onion ice cream.  I’m not sure I would go that far, but it’s the only kind of onion I can stand to eat all by itself.  See, this is not a garnish, this is the real-deal honest-to-pete gen-u-ine son of the south onion, as sweet as Miss Scarlet’s voice on a hot summer night in at-LAYAN-tuh.

Hungry yet?

Here’s my favorite Vidalia recipe:

Core a medium Vidalia that has been peeled and washed.  Do not core it all the way through, just about two thirds of the way.  In the hole, place a beef bullion cube, and fill the rest of the hole with butter.  Take the onion, wrap it up in aluminum foil like a Hershey Kiss, and place it on the grill for about 20-25 minutes, depending on the heat.  You will know it’s done when you can stick a meat fork into the side of the foil and there is no resistance. You can slather pieces of that roasted Vidalia over a steak, on a burger, or as a side item to nearly anything. 

I can taste them already.