Vidalia onion question

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pacanis

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The Vidalias finally found their way into my grocery store. I picked up a couple good sized ones a few days ago. For the first time though, they aren't near as sweet tasting and they have a purplish color to the first few outer layers, at least the one I have used so far. The outside skin and shape is Vidalia all the way.
Has anyone ever ran into this before? I'm wondering if I picked out a couple of "imposters" that found their way into the wrong bin. They do not have the Vidalia sticker on them either and I seem to remember Vidalia onions always having this sticker, but haven't been back into town yet to look.
 
I just bought some the other day, and they did have the sticker on them. They were as good as always. I wait for them every year - wish their season was longer.
 
I too picked up some Vidalia's this past weekend. While I don't recall stickers, they were good & sweet as usual. I've never come across any that had purplish outer layers - even the "baby" ones one of the markets here sells as "baby salad Vidalias" don't have any purple to them.

I'm thinking you accidentally got a few rogues of another variety.
 
Gee, Picanis, hope that you didn't pick up any imposters---take them back if you haven't cut them already and see what they say. Our local newspaper said that if you wanted to preserve them for a long time to wrap them in foil and store in the refrigerator and that they'd last a long time (several months) tried it and they did keep for a long while. I read this article several years ago. Hope that you have the real McCoys, however.
 
Yeah, I bet I got some rogues, too. Nothing to get upset about as I only bought two, but I'll have to pay closer attention next time.

The foil and refridgerator trick sounds good. You can never have enough Vidalias on hand. I had heard that dropping them in a nylon stocking, tying a knot between each one to keep them separated and hanging in a basement will extend their storage time, too. Just cut off as needed.
 
With Vidalias it's probably best to buy them as you need them. Onion varieties are divided into different types, & Vidalias fall into the category earmarked for fresh use rather than storage.

True storage types will have a much heavier layer of protective papery skin that covers the onion completely. Vidalias - & other onions meant for fresh use - are practically buck-naked by comparison - lol!! Thus, they will tend to shrivel/rot/mold much faster if kept for any real length of time.
 
I have better luck keeping them if I hang them instead of storing where they touch each other..Air circulating around helps keep them dry. I use and old pair of clean panty hose, put one in tie a knot several inchs above the onion so the next onion I put in doesn't touch, tie again til all are snug and hang in the garage..Of course they don't last long as we all love them..I just start at the bottom and cut off the one I want and the others stay in place.


kadesma:)
 
I use nothing but sweet onions for cooking. When Vidalias are not in season I get Texas Sweets, Maui Sweets or Oso Sweets. But the Vidalia is without a doubt the best onion on the market. I don't ever recall seeing a Vidalia with purple skin so you may have picked up a "wanderer." Some markets will call a sweet onion Vidalia, so be careful. I look for the sticker, it HAS to say Vidalia. Period. Great eating on sandwiches too.
 
jpmcgrew said:
:) Kades
My dad would do the same panty hose thing for his Vidalias.
JP,
I learned this trick from my dad. He never had vidalias til I got some and served them to him. He did plant his own onions usually stockton reds and would hang them like this to dry..I remember one time my mom nearly had his head because he took the brand new pair she was planning to use for a wedding and there in the garage they hung with onions in their glory:ROFLMAO:

kades;)
 
I don't actually cook with them either. They don't have enough of the onion flavor that most dishes require. I just slice them raw with tomatoes and cottage cheese or cook in a little soy sauce and butter or roast them. My son and I can go through a 25 pound bag in a couple of weeks! They are supposed to be a great anti-cancer food too. Vidalias, fresh asparagas and wild mushroom time is here, yea Spring!
 
Yes, kades, I know the nylon stocking trick, too. I wrote about it in one of my columns a couple of years ago.

We like baked Vidalias with roast beef. Try this:

BAKED VIDALIA ONIONS
(Serves 4)

4 Vidalia onions, peeled
4 beef bouillon cubes
4 Tbsp. butter
Water

In the root end of each peeled onion, scoop out a well with a spoon or a melon baller. Place the four onions in an 8-inch square baking dish or a 10-inch pie plate. Put a bouillon cube in each well. Top with butter. Pour about 1/4-inch of water in pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.

You won't believe how these turn out. I can almost make a meal out of these.
 
Katie E said:
Yes, kades, I know the nylon stocking trick, too. I wrote about it in one of my columns a couple of years ago.

We like baked Vidalias with roast beef. Try this:

BAKED VIDALIA ONIONS
(Serves 4)​


4 Vidalia onions, peeled


4 beef bouillon cubes


4 Tbsp. butter


Water​



In the root end of each peeled onion, scoop out a well with a spoon or a melon baller. Place the four onions in an 8-inch square baking dish or a 10-inch pie plate. Put a bouillon cube in each well. Top with butter. Pour about 1/4-inch of water in pan and cover tightly with foil. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 1 hour. Serve hot.​



You won't believe how these turn out. I can almost make a meal out of these.​

These sound wonderful..Have some I just bought think I'll pick up a few m ore and have them sunday with grilled steaks and dome other goodies. Thanks Katie..
kadesma:)
 
As far as I know all of the sweet onions will have a sticker to identify them. The Vidalia and Maui are the same onion (Granex 33) grown in different places, Texas sweet onions are Grano varieties - the sweet (labeled as 502) and the super sweet (labeled as 1015), and from the Northwest we get the Walla Walla sweet. There is a new hybrind I've heard about but have not seen yet, called "candy" which is supposed to be sweeter than the Vadaila or Texas 1015..

Being a single guy and not prone to having a ready cache of used pantyhose around the house ... I don't use the knot and cut method. What I do instead is use the twist-ties that come on bread wrappers to "tie off" between the onions.
 
Next to the Vidalia, I like the Texas 1015. Several years ago Mississippi State University experimented with the Gran-X 33 and produced a sizable crop. Due to poor marketing they never gained much consumer confidence. In comparison to the Vidalia they didn't quite measure up. So in many respects they were D.O.A.
 
I think walla-wallas from Washington state are also the same as Maui and Vidalia. Having visited or lived most of these areas, I have concluded that it isn't just the plant but also that red dirt that is in them (in Hawaii it was a real, true pain .... everything got stained with that red clay). I think that soil is rich in iron, do you think that makes it sweet?
 
I love Vidalia onions. We have a green pepper & onion relish we make from our home grown bell peppers but the problem is that my harvest of peppers is on opposite ends from the Vidalia season.

I got a good buy on a case of Vidalia onions a few years ago and bell peppers were reasonable at the market so we made the relish. It is wonderful with the addition of the Vidalia onion.

The soil can definitely have an effect on the taste of vegetables and especially root crops. I forget most of the stuff I knew in my Organic Gardening days but I do know that we planted radishes a few times in our heavy Ohio clay soil and they were beautiful but they were so hot that it was difficult to eat them. This was because of the components of our soil.
 
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