Tuscumbia – What started as a local fundraiser for the Tuscumbia Civitan Club has blossomed into a nationwide event. Because of the popularity of the legendary Vidalia Onion the fundraiser remains one of the largest annual events for the Civitans in Tuscumbia.
The Vidalia Onion is not just any onion, it is an onion protected by local, state and national law. Wikipedia defines it best as to what a Vidalia Onion is: “The onions were first grown near Vidalia, Georgia, in the early 1930s. It is an unusually sweet variety of onion, due to the low amount of sulfur in the soil in which the onions are grown. Mose Coleman is considered the person who discovered the sweet Vidalia Onion variety in 1931.” These onions are so sweet you can eat them just like an apple.
Less than 100 growers plant Vidalias which are harvested only from late April through Labor Day each year. A Vidalia onion is a sweet onion of certain varieties, grown in a production area defined by law in Georgia and by the United States Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). The varieties include the hybrid yellow granex, varieties of granex parentage, or other similar varieties recommended by the Vidalia Onion Committee and approved by the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture. In 1990 it was named Georgia’s official state vegetable.
In 1986 Georgia’s State Legislature passed the “ Vidalia Onion Act of 1986” which authorized a trademark for “Vidalia Onions” and limits the production area to Georgia or any 
subset as defined by the state’s Commissioner of Agriculture. The current definition includes: The following thirteen counties: Emanuel, Candler, Treutlen, Bulloch, Wheeler, Montgomery, Evans, Tattnall, Toombs, Telfair, Jeff Davis, Appling, and Bacon. Portions of the following seven counties: Jenkins, Screven, Laurens, Dodge, Pierce, Wayne, and Long.
In 1989, at the request of producers and handlers meeting the standards defined by Georgia law, the United States Department of Agriculture promulgated a Federal Marketing Order (CFR Title 7, Part 955) which defined the production area.
To place your order for these Spring delicacies, contact your friendly neighborhood Tuscumbia Civitan member. They are only $10.00 for a ten pound bag. All of the proceeds go to charitable organizations in the Shoals area. You can also call Steve at 256.415.7249 or email him at steven@stevenknows.com. The onions will be delivered in early May. Orders of five bags or more will be delivered free. So get all of your co-workers to go in together and place an order. Orders must be received by April 12th.
The Tuscumbia Civitan Club also has a Facebook page where you can post your order request.
