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edible complex wrote:it's all in the alluvial...I always liked Johnny Becnel's 'cause he has good dirt.
I found someone at the St. Martinville Farmer's Market yrs back selling creoles that tasted just like JB's. this guy worked for him and was able to start his crop from some of JB's vines. must have had good dirt down there too, as these were mighty fine tomatuh's.

EC, thanks for bringing up my old bowling league teammate! A real shame Johnny had to die so young. That man had more energy than just about anyone I knew.

If you go to the Becnel's Belle Chasse store and get the Creoles, going for about $12/box, they can't hold a candle to the Creoles of the old days. You do bring up a good point though. Along with the dirt, the MOST important thing is having great seeds, and Johnny always had the best, which stands to reason since they were just his seeds saved from year to year. Also noted that you mentioned it was "years back" that you found them in St. Martinsville. I certainly agree with that!

They are all about "pretty" and "meaty" now, and not about flavor. Give me the old style.

Man...I miss them.

The Bear wrote:The way to assure a sweet onion is not to buy Vidalia. I have never had a sweet one. I think 50% are grown somewhere else and labeled Vidalia. 40% may be grown in Vidalia county but by people that know nothing about farming just in it for the money. The rest are probably ok. To get a sweet onion is to find the biggest 1015 or Walla Walla you can find. The bigger the sweeter.

Do you ever see "Bermuda Onions" in your produce markets? When I lived on the east coast we could find them quite often. They were large (up to grapefruit size) and were the sweetest - slice, salt, and eat onions - I ever had. The local "hoagie" (sub, hero, po-boy) shop use to load his lunch meat slicer with peeled Bermudas, and then pile a fist-full of thinly sliced on each sandwich. Boy I wish I had a Time Machine.

Re our local Vidalia onions, they are strictly hit and miss.

.... slice, salt, and eat....

THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

Something tells me that you might have had an onion sandwich/salt/pepper on white bread as a kid, Art! I grew up with 'em! Have a nice weekend, honey.

NoNoNanette wrote:THAT's what I'm talkin' about!

Something tells me that you might have had an onion sandwich/salt/pepper on white bread as a kid, Art! I grew up with 'em! Have a nice weekend, honey.

Yes to all you say!!!

Now for the penultimate (sp?), take the above and add to it a patty of high quality raw ground beef. Wa La! Cannibal sandwich!