Some veggies are at their peak

Georgia's Vidalia onions are prime this month, while Florida's tomatoes and corn end the state's spring growing season with a fanfare.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 9, 2001

Now, say Vidalia onion growers, is the time to buy the sweetest of the sweet. The last week of April and the first three weeks of May are peak season for the mild onions grown in Georgia.

While the produce season is cranking up in Georgia and South Carolina, Florida's spring run is winding down. Even so, there is an abundance of Florida tomatoes, planted in great quantities this year, and sweet corn. Florida blueberries also are making their appearance; look for the state's snap beans to remain a bit pricy.

The season also brings higher prices for Vidalia onions. Cold weather in December and January is being blamed for both smaller crops and onions.

"On the positive side, quality seems to be above average," said John Shuman of Vidalia Growers Inc., a cooperative in Cobbtown, Ga.

The onions harvested at the end of April and during the next few weeks are the best tasting of the crop, Shuman said, adding that those picked earlier are not as sweet.

"The thing that we like to stress is to wait for the core varieties to be sold. The sweeter onions are harvested at peak maturity," said Shuman.

His grower cooperative has its headquarters about 15 miles east of Vidalia, the city that gave the onion its name. Technology has ensured that the highly perishable onions are available beyond the harvesting season, though only for a portion of the year.

"One of the things that really limits the shelf life of Vidalia onions is their high sugar and water content. That's the reason that the shelf life is shorter on a Vidalia onion as compared to other onions," Shuman said.

Stored in a refrigerator's crisper compartment, the onions will last four to six weeks, he said.

"Wrap them separately in paper towels or newspapers or put them in the legs of sheer, clean panty hose and just tie a knot between each onion and store them in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area. Those should keep for about four to six weeks or more," he said.

For more storage tips and recipes, go to the Vidalia Growers Web site: http://www.vidalias.com.

A look at produce from Florida shows that most items will be a good buy this month.

"We are way oversupplied on tomatoes," said Bob Blankenship of the Florida Department of Agriculture. That abundance, though, generally is not being reflected in supermarket prices, he said. Sweet corn, however, both plentiful and inexpensive, is a good bargain.

Produce

Artichokes, apricots, asparagus, avocados, beans, blueberries, broccoli, cabbage, cucumber, lettuce, mangoes, okra, papaya, peas, peppers, spinach, summer squash, sweet corn, eggplant, onions and pineapples.

Seafood

The next few days will be the last until September to buy fresh red snapper from the gulf. The season closes Tuesday. Grouper will be available, but prices will continue to be high. Look also for tuna, swordfish and blue crabs this month.

Prices for red snapper will run about $4.99 a pound for whole fish and $9.99 a pound for fillets, said Gib Migliano of Save on Seafood in Gulfport.

Migliano cautioned that seafood prices often fluctuate from day to day, affected particularly by the weather.

In May, grouper fillets should cost around $9.99 a pound, he said. Grouper harvests have not been good, he added.

Tuna and swordfish, though, should be plentiful as these fish make their way into the Gulf of Mexico. Expect to pay around $8.99 a pound for yellowfin tuna steaks and about the same or less for swordfish steaks, Migliano said.

Blue crabs are making an appearance again, after being scarce for the past three to four months. Small crabs will cost about $7 to $8 a dozen and larger crabs about $12 a dozen.

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