Field Tour Highlights How Vidalia Onions Go From Farm To Fork
May 6, 2014 To celebrate the start of the 2014 season and their new “V is for Vidalia” consumer campaign, The Vidalia Onion Committee hosted a field tour for food bloggers and media on April 25-27. The tour provided a first-hand look at how and where Vidalia onions are grown along with one-on-one conversations with farmers. During the weekend event, participants were also treated to a wide variety of specially prepared meals from local chefs featuring the versatility and flavor of Vidalia onions.
From front to back is Jennifer Dempsey,
Meredith Steele, and Paula Jones
A total of 11 national food bloggers and key media explored the onion fields and viewed how Vidalias are harvested by hand. A tour of the packing facility showcased how these sweet onions are carefully handled, graded, and packaged to ensure quality and food safety. Commissioner Gary Black of the Georgia Department of Agriculture joined the tour and spoke about the benefits of the Georgia-grown initiative in promoting Georgia’s locally grown products.
“Showcasing the entire farm-to-fork experience gave these individuals a real sense of not only how and where Vidalia onions are grown but more importantly what makes them so special,” stated Susan Waters executive director of the Vidalia Onion Committee. “The farmers enjoyed sharing their passion for growing Vidalia onions, their dedication to food safety and quality, and the history of their family farms which is multi-generational.”
The tour luncheon was hosted by Applebee’s and Michael Slavin, Executive Chef of Product Development for Applebee’s, and the tour coincided with the 37th annual Vidalia Onion Festival and participants attended several events including the Golden Onion professional cooking competition which provided a platform for 12 Georgia Chefs to display their skills and creativity.
Waters continued, “With a changing media marketplace, one of the objectives of the ‘V is for Vidalia’ campaign is to create more social experiences online and working with food bloggers provides an effective grassroots effort in sharing recipes and tips with consumers all season long.”
To that end, The Vidalia Onion Committee (VOC) is also engaging food bloggers with the “V Culinary Challenge.” Starting April 21 through June 10, bloggers will be invited to submit their own recipes online at Facebook.com/VidaliaOnions, and starting May 1 through August 4, consumers will be invited to vote for their favorites. The grand prize winner will receive a cash prize of $2,500 and their bio, blog, and recipe will be featured on the VOC’s website. Two runner-up winners will each receive a cash prize of $500.
To reward consumers who frequent the Vidalia Onion Facebook page, the VOC will be featuring a coupon for 50¢ off 5 pounds or more of bagged or bulk Vidalia onions. During the month of May, the committee will host a weekly trivia contest on Facebook and consumers will have the opportunity to win a basket of Vidalia onions along with other items.
For more information, visit Facebook.com/VidaliaOnions. For recipes and tips, visit VidaliaOnion.org.
Source: Vidalia Onion Committee news release
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