FOOD NEWS
Why Vidalia Onions Were Once One Of The Most Coveted Vegetables
By Nick Johnson
The Vidalia onion, a common piece of produce that you're almost certainly familiar with, used to be quite difficult to procure. At one time, Vidalia onions were an incredibly hot commodity.
The first Vidalia onions were harvested in 1931 by farmer Moses Coleman who accidentally harvested some particularly sweet onions and decided to sell them. As they grew in popularity it could be difficult to purchase Vidalias since they could only be grown in a small region in Georgia.
However, Vidalia onions began being marketed to consumers nationwide in the 1970s, and now roughly 200 million pounds are produced annually in the United States and Canada. Though Vidalia onions are widely available today, farmers’ dedication to this quality crop may be one of the reasons why they are desirable in the culinary sphere.