V is for Vidalia, Y’all

Today I’m gonna tell you about my recent trip to the Vidalia onion farms in Georgia – make sure you scroll down to the bottom because we have a really awesome giveaway going on!  A $500 Visa Card plus a really cool bag filled with Vidalia Onion swag.  Oh yeah!  This is one awesome giveaway! And make sure you head over to the Vidalia Onion facebook page & print off a coupon to save some dough off your next bag!

Most of y’all know that I’m from the South.  If you’ve ever heard me talk, there is no denying it. There are so many things I love about the South, the list is so long really. But some of the things that top that list are the Southern drawls, sweet tea, pecan pie, & Vidalia onions.

And the proper way to pronounce a Vidalia onion is like – Vye-dayle-ya.  Make sure to draw out those syllables for maximum effect 😉

I love onions as it is, but the Vidalia onion is like none other.  Like Elvis is the king of rock n’ roll, Richard Petty is the king of Nascar, & Vidalias are the king of onions. Simple as that.

Me holding a fresh picked Vidalia Onion

Obviously you can tell that I’m a huge fan.  So, you can imagine how excited I was to be invited on the first ever Vidalia onion farm tour.  Woot, woot! Myself and some other bloggers got the chance to get a firsthand look at how Vidalia onions are grown, packaged, and all the things behind the scenes. And of course, we got to eat food prepared with the onions.  Yum!

Let me tell you, the food was so, so good!  These onions are so versatile, and they make almost anything you pair it with even more incredible than before.

Oh. My. Word…. Y’all… the food!!  It was amazing.  Insanely delicious.  Everything we had included Vidalia onions, and I surely wasn’t complaining.  I couldn’t have been happier with all the pairings we enjoyed.  There were some time where I wanted to pick up my plate & lick it, but I decided to be the lady Mama raised me to be and spare everyone that sight.  This time… 😉

Caution: Before proceeding past this point, you may want to grab you a napkin to wipe the drool that will probably start to accumulate on your chin.

Grilled Vidalia Onion Sirloin (available at Applebees!) 

Vidalia Onion Rings – So Classic, So Good!

They had a variety of 3 different dipping sauces to be served alongside, and of course – I had to try all 3!

Vidalia Onion & Cucumber Salad

Grilled Porterhouse Pork Chop, Pan Roasted Bacon Wrapped Diver Scallops, & Sweet Onion Casserole

And get this – we even had Vidalia Onion Cheesecake with a Salted Caramel Sauce…. and I’ll be totally honest.  I was a little scared.  But I kid you not, this was one of the best desserts I’ve ever had.  I was shocked about how good it was!  Seriously, y’all!

Some Pictures from the Farm…

Vidalia onions are fantastically sweet & scientifically that is due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown combined with the climate.  Regular rain, & regular access to irrigation also adds to the flavor & sweetness of the onions.  Surprisingly, it’s more their high water content than the high sugar content that makes sweet onions so mild. Because of this, regular moisture is a must during the growing season.

Speaking of the growing season… Vidalia Onions are only available in Spring & Summer. Why?  Because they come to maturity during shorter days than other onions. They are grown as a winter crop, and harvested in the Spring – and most of this onion crop is harvested the good ol’ fashioned way… by hand.

After harvesting, the onions don’t waste much time before they end up in your local produce department.

Inside one of the Vidalia Onion packaging plants…

What’s the  best way to store Vidalia Onions?

Well, one of the best places to keep them is in the refrigerator. Wrap each bulb individually in a paper towel to absorb moisture, & place them in the crisper with the vents closed.  Most of them will last for months, which can even give you some Vidalia onions left to use for Thanksgiving & Christmas.  How awesome is that?

You can also store them in the legs of clean sheer pantyhose – that’s actually something I’ve seen my grandmother do for many moons.  Tie a knot between each onion, and when you’d like to use one – just cut it off at the knot.

And never, never store your Vidalia onions with potatoes.  Vidalia onions don’t like potatoes, and there will be a brawl to erupt. Ok, so maybe they won’t actually fight – but the ‘taters will make the onions go bad faster.

And stay tuned – because I’ve got some great Vidalia onion recipes coming!  Also, the Vidalia Onion website is definitely not lacking in the recipe department, check it out!

Now, let’s do this giveaway! I’m so excited about this one – the Vidalia Onion committee is so super generous that they want to give one of YOU $500 & a #VisforVidalia swag bag!! How’s that for some Southern hospitality? And I’ve paired with some of my bloggy friends to make this giveaway even bigger – so after you enter my giveaway, make sure you follow the links underneath the rafflecopter widget to enter theirs as well!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

And for extra entries, check these links out too:

• In the Kitchen with KP
• A Nut in a Nutshell 
• Mother Thyme
• The Divine Miss Mommy

I was compensated for this post in the form of the trip & the giveaway offered to my readers.  All opinions & general ramblings are my own.