I have a question about Vidalia onions....

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Glenda_Michigan Fowlerville, MI(Zone 5b) May 25, 2008

I have a question about Vidalia onions....

I've had some that were really sweet, and then today I baked some vidalias that were quite large, but not nearly as sweet. Are all vidalia onions the same???

How do you pick a really sweet one?

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feldon30 Houston, TX(Zone 9a) May 25, 2008

Vidalia onions are a selection of Granex which are grown in a production area defined by law in Georgia as well as Federal laws. They don't all grow the same variety of Granex, and they are grown by farmers in all or part of 20 counties in Georgia. So there is plenty of chance for variation in growing habits, soil, etc.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vidalia_onion

By the way, Granex is grown in Texas as Texas Sweet Onions, and in Washington State as Walla Walla onions.


I used to love Vidalia onions. I'd slice them, season with salt, sugar, and butter, and cook them for 45 minutes to an hour until they reduce to incredibly sweet, rich, caramelized onion rings. However they cause me so much gas as to be a fire hazard!

This message was edited May 25, 2008 4:10 PM

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) May 25, 2008

Feldon is correct, there are 22 cultivars of hybrid Yellow Granex types approved for growers of Vidalia Onions. Onions farmers occupy a good slice of middle Georgia. Supposedly it is the soil conditions in the area that give them the Vidalia flavor. Truthfully I find the Texas grown ones (Texas Sweets) just as good. They all have a similar appearance. Weather conditions, including amount of moisture also affects the flavor. Like most things the very early maturing cultivars have less flavor than mainseason cultivars. There is no way to tell visually, but those who have access to the farms, will want to wait until late April or May to get thier onions. They start harvesting the early cultivars in March.

The Walla Walla tho is a sweet Spanish type, not kin to the Granex.

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Post #5002211
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feldon30 Houston, TX(Zone 9a) May 26, 2008

Oops. Thanks for the correction on the Walla Walla. I also see another type from time to time I think they're called Mayan Sweets. Maybe the same thing?

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) May 26, 2008

Mayan Sweets are Granex types imported from Panama, Guatemala, and Costa Rican. A Market name like Vidalia. A new market brand (OSO sweets) is imported from Chili (I think this is a Grano type) It is interesting that because Georgia has done such a good job of marketing Granex type onions under the Vidalia brand name, that most folks don't know the Granex types originated in Texas.

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BronxBoy Lawrenceville, GA(Zone 7b) May 27, 2008

I am very happy with my onion production this year. I think my previous attempts failed because I was planting way to late.

How big on average should a Texas Supersweet get?

BB

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