Vidalia onion
Encyclopedia
A Vidalia onion is a sweet onion
Sweet onion
A sweet onion is a variety of onion that is not pungent. Their mildness is attributable to their low sulfur content and high water content when compared to other onion varieties.-Origins in the United States:...

 of certain varieties, grown in a production area defined by law in Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...

 and by the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 Code of Federal Regulations
Code of Federal Regulations
The Code of Federal Regulations is the codification of the general and permanent rules and regulations published in the Federal Register by the executive departments and agencies of the Federal Government of the United States.The CFR is published by the Office of the Federal Register, an agency...

 (CFR). The varieties include the hybrid yellow granex, varieties of granex parentage, or other similar varieties recommended by the Vidalia Onion Committee and approved by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
United States Secretary of Agriculture
The United States Secretary of Agriculture is the head of the United States Department of Agriculture. The current secretary is Tom Vilsack, who was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on 20 January 2009. The position carries similar responsibilities to those of agriculture ministers in other...

.

The onions were first grown near Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, Georgia
Vidalia, is a city in Toombs and very slightly into Montgomery counties in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,491. It is the largest city in Toombs, but is not the county seat...

, in the early 1930s. It is an unusually sweet variety of onion, due to the low amount of sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...

 in the soil in which the onions are grown. Mose Coleman is considered the person who discovered the sweet Vidalia Onion variety in 1931.

Georgia's state legislature passed the "Vidalia Onion Act of 1986" which authorized a trademark
Trademark
A trademark, trade mark, or trade-mark is a distinctive sign or indicator used by an individual, business organization, or other legal entity to identify that the products or services to consumers with which the trademark appears originate from a unique source, and to distinguish its products or...

 for "Vidalia Onions" and limits the production area to Georgia or any subset as defined by the state's Commissioner of Agriculture. The current definition includes:
  • The following thirteen counties: Emanuel
    Emanuel County, Georgia
    Emanuel County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 21,837. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 22,469. The county seat is Swainsboro.-History:...

    , Candler
    Candler County, Georgia
    Candler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed July 14, 1914, and ratified November 3, 1914. Candler County, was named in 1914 for Allen D...

    , Treutlen
    Treutlen County, Georgia
    Treutlen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 6,854. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 6,938. The county seat is Soperton...

    , Bulloch
    Bulloch County, Georgia
    Bulloch County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on February 8, 1796. Bulloch County has undergone rapid growth in recent years. As of 2000, the population was 55,983. The 2009 Census Estimate showed a population of 69,213. The county seat is Statesboro.In...

    , Wheeler
    Wheeler County, Georgia
    Wheeler County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 6,179. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 6,830. The county seat is Alamo.-History:Wheeler County is named after Confederate General Joseph Wheeler...

    , Montgomery
    Montgomery County, Georgia
    Montgomery County is a county in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 8,270. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 9,060...

    , Evans
    Evans County, Georgia
    Evans County is a county located in the southeastern portion of the U.S. state of Georgia in an area known as the Magnolia Midlands within the Historic South region. A bill creating the county was passed in the Georgia General Assembly on August 11, 1914, and later, on November 3, 1914, an...

    , Tattnall
    Tattnall County, Georgia
    Tattnall County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 22,305. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 23,179...

    , Toombs
    Toombs County, Georgia
    Toombs County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on August 18, 1905. As of 2000, the population was 26,067. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 27,820. The county seat is Lyons....

    , Telfair
    Telfair County, Georgia
    Telfair County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the population was 11,794. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 13,366...

    , Jeff Davis
    Jeff Davis County, Georgia
    Jeff Davis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on August 18, 1905. As of 2000, the population was 12,684. It was named for the only President of the Confederate States of America, Jefferson Davis. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 13,291...

    , Appling
    Appling County, Georgia
    Appling County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population is 17,419. The 2007 Census Estimate placed the population at 17,946...

    , and Bacon
    Bacon County, Georgia
    Bacon County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Bacon County is named after Augustus Bacon, a former United States Senator from Georgia. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed July 7, 1914, and ratified November 3, 1914. As of 2000, the population is...

    .

  • Portions of the following seven counties: Jenkins
    Jenkins County, Georgia
    Jenkins County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on August 17, 1905. As of 2000, the population was 8,575. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 8,595. The county seat is Millen.-Geography:...

    , Screven
    Screven County, Georgia
    Screven County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,374. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 15,037...

    , Laurens
    Laurens County, Georgia
    Laurens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. It was created on December 10, 1807. As of 2000, the population was 44,874. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 47,520...

    , Dodge
    Dodge County, Georgia
    Dodge County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 19,171. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 20,042. The county seat is Eastman. Dodge County lies in the Historic South region of Georgia, an area that has architectural wonders and shows the...

    , Pierce
    Pierce County, Georgia
    Pierce County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 15,636. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 17,881. The county seat is Blackshear....

    , Wayne
    Wayne County, Georgia
    Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. As of 2000, the population was 26,565. The 2007 Census Estimate showed a population of 29,046. The county seat is Jesup.-History:...

    , and Long
    Long County, Georgia
    Long County is a county located in the U.S. state of Georgia. The constitutional amendment to create the county was proposed August 14, 1920, and ratified November 2, 1920. As of 2000, the population is 10,304. The 2007 Census Estimate shows a population of 11,300...

    .


The Vidalia onion was named Georgia's official state vegetable in 1990.

External links

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