By Elliott Brack, editor and publisher | It’s great to see your former students do well. A surprise gift (Vidalia onions) from him allowed a re-connection. And this student, Ray Moses, graduating in journalism, writes so well. He uses his journalism skills in a different way today, as president of Genoa Construction, an Alpharetta-based building firm which now does business in 15 states. The firm concentrates on renovation work, but recently completed one of its biggest projects, Smithgall Woods at the new Atlanta Botanical Gardens in Gainesville.
The onions came our way you might say naturally….since Ray is originally from Alston in Montgomery County, Ga., right in the middle of the Vidalia Onion belt. He’s been sending his clients onions for years. Read part of the letter accompanying the article to see what a good writer he is:
“Well, it’s onion time again, and back home the Robison boys have had a rough year. They called me a while back and said the whole onion crop was a disaster. I said ‘Explain disaster.’ Well, it turned warm at the wrong time, and then it turned cold at the wrong time. Next it rained when it was not supposed to, and didn’t rain when it was needed.
“Disaster! Now I started to tell them to get rid of the weather channel app on their smart phone and go back to checking the Farmer’s Almanac to get reliable weather info, but since they are about the best farmers in the state, I kept my mouth shut.
“Good thing, because it turns out that every grower down there had a bad season. Quit? If you quit, what am I gonna do, send folks 20 bucks and a map to Kroger? John said they didn’t make any Jumbos or Larges, and only a few Mediums. I asked how they tasted, and he said they were great. Good! Then Charles said that they were real ugly. Well, I ain’t taking ‘em to the prom. So we traded.
“Did you know that Bill Gates just bought one of the biggest onion farms in Vidalia? It’s the truth. I guess poor Bill got tired of trying to scratch out a decent living in the computer business, and now he’s going to start farming. Farming being noted for its high margins, excessive profits and low risk. Good luck, Mr. Gates.
“Ever heard of a Corn Dodger? Been around for years. Abe Lincoln ate them for breakfast……(It’s) made from Indian Head cornmeal, hot water, a little salt, all made up into little balls about the size of a lemon and fried in pork fat. Now if you want to turn a piece of staple fare into a culinary masterpiece, mix in as much chopped-up Vidalia onions as the mixture will stand and still hold together before you fry ‘em. It’s a game changer. My Mama made ‘em that way. My Aunt Thelma would fry up a mess of fresh caught bream and onion corn dodgers. Folks said (my Uncle Cooney) would go to moaning like a black and tan. Rather have bream than lobster. Rather have an onion corn dodger than a pound cake.
“Now listen, this is not simple cooking like say, Baked Alaska or Beef Wellington. You may have to try it a couple of times to get it right.”
That’s Ray’s recipe, and you might benefit from trying it. Meanwhile, it makes my mouth water.
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