The Vidalia onion is enjoying one of its best seasons in years. A prestigious national endorsement coupled with lofty 2006 crop predictions have lifted expectations for Georgia's official state vegetable.
The national weight-loss program, Weight Watchers, has endorsed Vidalias as its "Pick of the Season" for the year's second quarter. The Vidalia Onion Committee recently released a new logo to help promote the crop.
The eight-week season for Vidalia onions began this week with growers expecting to harvest nearly 14,000 acres. Vidalia growing began in small numbers in the 1930's before the onion became one of Georgia's most lucrative and prestigious crops.
The sweet onions are worth about $75 million a year for the state's 98 registered growers while the statewide economic impact reaches $200 million.