Recipe: Vidalia Onion Pizzas, Two Ways

Originally published in the April 30, 2014, issue

 

Editor’s Note: Sweeten up Georgia’s own sweet Vidalias with a tangy barbecue twist, or turn them savory and delectably cheesy with these two pizza options. Add your own favorite toppings to customize them further.

 

Ingredients:

2 loaves frozen white bread dough

Oil

½ cup barbecue sauce

½ cup store-bought alfredo sauce

1 cup roasted or sautéed Vidalia Onions, sliced

1.5 cups cooked chicken, chopped

2 cups grated mozzarella cheese, separated

Instructions:

1. Create the crust. Generously cover a large bowl with oil. Place frozen dough in the bowl and allow to thaw and rise. This can be done overnight or for at least eight hours.

2. Spread the crust on two greased 12-inch pizza pans. Press crust to the sides of the pans and set aside.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

4. Split the chicken and onion portions in two.

5. On one crust, spread barbecue sauce, one portion chicken, one portion onions and one cup mozzarella.

6. On the second crust, spread alfredo sauce and remaining chicken, onions and mozzarella.

7. Bake until crust is browned and cheese is melted.



Arty's Garden: Walk Like an Egyptian ... Onion

Originally published in the April 16, 2014, issue

 

Whenever I hear The Bangles sing “Walk Like an Egyptian,” I think of ‘80s fashions as well as the highly stylized paintings adorning the tombs of the pharaohs. And I think of onions: Egyptian walking onions.

 

Egyptian walking onions (Allium cepa var. proliferum) are a type of multiplying onion that forms small bulbs called bulblets on top of their stalks where you expect to find a cluster of flowers. The bulblets may even have small stalks of their own, giving the plants an interesting Medusa-like appearance. Sometimes they will also have a few flowers, too.

 

As these bulblets grow and as the stalk holding them ages and withers, the bulblets weigh down the stalk and take root where they touch the ground. In a sense, they “walk” across the garden.

 

T. Greiner wrote of Egyptian walking onions in The New Onion Culture back in 1904 that the “quality is inferior, but the bulbs may be readily sold when better varieties are wanting” and that “if planted deep in rich, loose soil, the stalk blanches in the manner of leeks … and makes a green onion of fairly good quality.”

 

The bulbs can be eaten fresh as spring onions or cooked; the tops can be used as scallions and the bulblets can be pickled. Though raw Egyptian walking onions can be strong and hot, sautéing or other cooking methods will reduce or moderate their heat.

 

However, in all my years of growing these onions, I have only eaten them twice. I don’t fear or dislike them, I just think of them as ornamentals rather than vegetables. In fact, I have them growing with daylilies and daffodils and in pots along with dianthus and violas. Their leaves are a sturdy blue-green all winter, and the stalks in spring are interesting, attractive and a conversation starter.

 

Egyptian walking onions will withstand a wide range of growing conditions and are almost as durable as the pyramids. Even the ones growing in pots did not suffer any cold damage this winter. 

 

Not many commercial sources sell Egyptian walking onions. They are usually passed along from gardener to gardener. You may see them offered in the Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin. Subscribers can place a free advertisement to see if readers have any to sell or share.

 

One last thing – though “walking” in the name is easily explained, “Egyptian” is not. No one is sure where these onions originated, although I like to think they are truly connected with the mystic land of the Nile.

 

Arty Schronce is the Department’s resident gardening expert. He is a lifelong gardener and a horticulture graduate of North Carolina State University who encourages everyone to walk into a nursery or garden center this spring and learn more about the fascinating world of plants.

Georgia Grown Profile: Vidalia Valley

Originally published in the Nov. 27, 2013, issue

 

Sweet onions key to company’s sweet success

By Jenna Saxon, press office

Stanley Farms, a staple in the Vidalia sweet onion business, became vertically integrated in 2005 by establishing its own processing company, Vidalia Valley. In 2005, a new state-of-the-art facility was built in the Vidalia countryside, most often called “The Valley.” This facility became the Vidalia Valley headquarters where the company now produces its own relishes, dressings, salsas and sauces as well as other processed foods and ingredients.

The Stanleys proudly use their homegrown Vidalia onions as the key ingredients that make up their extensive product list. In fact, Vidalia Valley is the only manufacturer in the country that grows its own Vidalia onions and processes them into gourmet and country-style products on its family farm.

Vidalia Valley is a proud Georgia Grown member and works to promote not only its homegrown Vidalia onions, but all vegetables produced in Georgia.

“Georgia Grown has a huge presence in connection to Vidalia Valley products. We include the Georgia Grown label on our product labels, promote Georgia Grown through our social media campaigns and also attend Georgia Grown events,” said Lauren Dees of Vidalia Valley.

Vidalia Valley loves connecting with other Georgia Grown members throughout the state and watching trends with their category. The company has the capability to provide co-packing services for other Georgia Grown members and encourages any Georgia Grown member who may be interested to contact them.

“Using locally grown ingredients keeps the integrity on which our business was founded,” Dees said.