This is one of the bigger onion fields in our area. Possibly it belongs to Bland Farms which is one of the largest onion growers in the USA. This picture was taken a couple months ago.
This picture was taken last week,one day before the onions were picked up.
The bins have been placed in the fields. 
The onions have been pulled and left to dry. All is ready for the big day tomorrow. 
This is the day of the picking. The workers have been bused in. There were at least 5 of these buses.
They even brought in porta potties!
The fields are full of activity!
I don't know if the onions are pulled by hand but we can see that they are definitely picked up by hand. Maybe there isn't a machine to do it yet. 
Onions can't be sold as Vidalias unless they are grown in certain counties of Georgia where the soil is right to give them the right sweetness. In fact only 13 counties and parts of 7 others are certified to grow Vidalias. This field is located in Wayne County.
Here is a crate full and ready to go. My son -in-law came by this field on his way home from work this same day and all the onions were picked up. There are some really sweet things in Georgia. The peach, the Coca Cola, the Vidalia onion. A test has shown that the Vidalia onion has more sugar than a Coke! Guess that's why they are so darn good!!
18 comments:
What an interesting post! Thank you for sharing this.
Mama the pictures are great!!!! You did a good job on this post! It is truly amazing how fast they can pick up a field in a day. They do use a machine to pull them up but they are hand picked.
We get a few Vidalia's here mostly we get Walla Walla sweets.
I like Vidalia's best. They are milder.
In south of France, we have a great love for cooking with onions! We made tarts with them . I'd really like to try those!
more sugar than Coke! an awesome little known fact, thanks, I think... great post!
Finally got my computer online so could see your photos easily. Interesting story about this crop. I enjoyed each and every photo and explanation.
So this is where they come from...Every year the Shriners of Chicago set up a stand in areas to sell Vidalia onions from Georgia. I always buy a bag of them. They are so good.
Hi Dot, OH --how I love Vidalia onions... This post was just so interesting... I never knew how they did that.... They can get alot done in a short time, can't they?????
Vidalias are the sweetest and best onions I have ever eaten... Thanks for such an interesting post.
Hugs,
Betsy
This is a wonderful series of photos. I like seeing how the harvest is done in Georgia - very similar to here in Canada, actually, although a different time of year. How lucky you are to live in Vidalia country!
That was very interesting. I never really thought about how onions were grown and harvested. I've never pay attention to the names of onions and just buy what is there. I will look for Vidalias next time.
What a lot of work! I sometimes think it is amazing that our food doesn't cost more than it does...that would be back breaking work bending over to pick all those up.
These are two very interesting posts on the Vidalia onions, Dot. I like these onions a lot, sliced very thin in a big salad. I guess they have what we call “L'appellation d'origine contrôlée” which means controlled origin name, like you cannot call a wine “Champagne” unless it comes from the Champagne region of France – although many foreign wines do, or for that matter Bordeaux, which is also a French region. In California they may call their wine Bordeaux but I doubt that in France they would call their onions “Vidalia” but who knows? Do you have a favorite way to cook the Vidalia onions? Thanks for visiting my blog.
Informative post, great pictures it must be a heavy job to pick onions the whole day.
I do not think I have ever eaten a Vidalia onion. I must try one soon! The information here was interesting to follow.
Yeah, Vidalia's are soooo good! I like to make potato salad and cole slaw with them. I like to eat them with red beans or butter beans and corn bread...:)
That looks like hard work bending over like that for hours. I like how all the hedges are so neatly cropped in your first photo.
be still my heart!
I do love Vi-dal-ia onions cooked with brown sugar and butter!
My goodness, I didn't have any idea what a huge operation this is, and I LOVE Vidalia's. Can't wait for them to show up here.
B.
Post a Comment