One of the great pleasures of living in this area during the month of May is introducing a newcomer to sweet onions. The conversation goes something like this:

Area resident: “We have an onion in these parts that is sweet enough to eat raw. In fact, I’m hungry for a raw-onion sandwich right now.”
Newcomer: “No! You don’t really eat raw onions, do you?”

Area resident: “Oh, yes, I do. I eat these onions raw on hamburgers and steak, and I bake them just like a baked potato, with a little butter in the center, or a splash of soy sauce. They are good raw in dips, too, and in salads. And when you cook them, they are so sweet, the dish tastes like you’ve added a half-cup of sugar to the recipe!”

Then, of course, the newcomer just has to get his or her lips on a good ol’ Vidalia sweet onion.

Nobody knows exactly what makes sweet onions sweet. The growers in the Vidalia and Glennville areas say it’s probably a combination of factors — the onion seed itself, F-1 Hybrid Granex; the low-sulphur soil; and the mild climate.

According to the official Vidalia Onion Web site, in the fall the seeds are allowed to germinate, then the seedlings are planted by hand. There are currently about 100 approved onion growers who plant 14,000 acres of onions, which, if the weather is kind, yield about 20,000 pounds of onions in the spring.

The onions are shipped throughout the United States and into Canada from mid-April through the fall, when the whole cycle begins again. There is an onion festival each year, and there is an official Vidalia Onion mascot, Yumion. Vidalia onions are so popular and have such wide appeal they were named Georgia’s official state vegetable in 1990. (Please do not share this information with the squash, okra, sweet corn and butterbean communities.)

Vidalia onions are pricey — the price had not been set at the time this article was being written, but sweet onions cost considerably more than other onion varieties. If you store them carefully, however, they can last for months in the refrigerator. They have a high moisture content and will rot if they are allowed to touch, so wrap each one separately in a paper towel or in tin foil and store in the refrigerator. I’ve successfully stored onions in this manner for more than six months.

I love these onions raw — sliced thin and served on white bread with a little mayonnaise, salt and pepper. Next on my favorites list are baked onions — particularly with a splash of soy sauce and a teaspoon of butter in the center, microwaved on high for eight to 10 minutes, then served with a grilled steak.

But for this article, I was looking for a special recipe that could be served at a summer lunch. Voila, the Vidalia onion-bacon quiche. This is just delicious served with a salad of bibb lettuce, diced tomatoes, bell peppers, cucumbers, a sprinkling of feta and a handful of dried cranberries, dressed with a sweet soy vinaigrette.  

Vidalia Onion-bacon Quiche

 4 slices bacon, minced

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

3 tablespoons flour

2 cups half-and-half

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1 ready-to-roll pie crust

1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Fry the bacon in a medium skillet until it is very crisp.  Remove the bacon to a paper towel to drain.  Drain off all but one tablespoon of the bacon grease.  Sauté the onion in the grease until it is very tender and just beginning to turn light brown, about 10 to 12 minutes.  Stir in the flour.  In a quart measuring cup, measure the half-and-half.  Add the eggs and whisk together.  Add the salt, pepper and thyme.

Place the pie crust in a deep-dish glass pie dish.  Crimp the edges.  Prick the bottom and sides of the crust.  Distribute both cheeses in the bottom of the crust.  Distribute the bacon pieces and sautéed onion over the cheese.  Pour over the egg mixture. 

Place the pie dish on a cookie sheet for ease in handling.  Place in the center of the heated oven.  Bake for 10 minutes at 425, then reduce the temperature to 350 and bake for 45 minutes longer, or until the center of the quiche is set.  You may need to cover the outer edge of the crust with foil to prevent over-browning. 

Makes six luncheon-sized slices.