Page 31 - March & April

ROUSES.COM 29
by Elizabeth M. Williams
AT SEASONS
PEAK
“I know our produce managers are the
best in the country, but it’s great to see
so many other people recognize it, too.
Kevin Cazeaux, who manages the
produce department at our Carrollton
store in New Orleans, was named a
Top 25 Produce Manager of the Year by
United Produce. He is the second Rouses
produce manager to make this list in the
past three years.”
—Joe Watson, Rouses Produce Director
Vidalia Onions
W hen farmers planted onions in cotton-depleted Georgia
fields during the Great Depression, they expected a tangy
onion-y bulb, but got a sweet surprise. Soon enough word spread
that sweet onions from Vidalia were delicious, and the onions flew
out of the markets.
Of course the next step in developing the phenomenon were the
Vidalia festivals that were established in the 1970s. The Vidalia
onion was also adopted as the state vegetable by the legislature of
Georgia. Since the 1980s, it has been defined and required by law
that Vidalias can only be grown in a 20-county area.
There’s more than just marketing to Vidalias. The sulfur in soil is
what gives pungency to most onions. The soil in the Vidalia area
has very little sulfur, and what little there is percolates below the
root line because of the high rainfall. The same variety of onion
would not be so sweet grown anywhere else.
ARRIVING IN MAY
Sunshine Sweet Corn, Florida
This yellow corn tastes like summer. Some of the sweetest and
most tender corn in the country is grown in Florida, where more
sweet corn is produced than any other state. Choose good green
husks with pale colored silk, shuck and eat right on the cob.
Athena Melons, Florida & Georgia
You can smell these sweet muskmelons as they ripen. They’re
larger than most varieties of cantaloupe, have a nettled skin,
bright orange flesh, and juicy sweet flavor. A cool treat for warm
weather.
Also Look For:
Local blueberries, Creole tomatoes, Vidalia onions
Grape Tomatoes, Lucedale, Mississippi
These one-bite tomatoes are ripened on the vine and hand-
picked and packed. Sweeter than cherry tomatoes, they have a
firm, meaty texture. Eat by the handful, add to salads, or use in
your favorite recipe.
Also Look For:
Local cucumbers, local bell peppers, local okra and local squash
Donny Rouse inspects the crop at Shuman Farms in Reidsville, Georgia, before the
Vidalia onions are harvested.
ARRIVING IN JUNE
Greenline Green Beans 12oz bag
Vidalia SWEET Carrots 2lb bag
Taylor Farms Chopped Salads —
BBQ, Asian, Garden, Southwest
Organic VIDALIA Onions
Marzattis OTRIA Greek Yogurt
Dressing
Litehouse Freeze Dried Herbs
Marie’s Dressings and Dips
Eat Smart Sweet Kale Salad
New Star POWERGREENS Salad
Dole FAMILY Size Salads
Vita Coco 4pk/330ml
100% coconut water
NEW IN OUR PRODUCE DEPARTMENT