Vol 6, # 2, June 2006
We publish four times a year (usually) and include information on all aspects of Italian vegetables, herbs and flowers: selecting, growing, harvesting and storing and cooking. We would be happy to receive and if space permits, publish your experiences in these areas.
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1. Privacy Policy
2. Defective Seed.
3. New Seed Varieties Just Arrived
4. Garlic from Italy
5. Backorders.
6. Lampascioni
7. New Seed Varieties for 2007
8. Spring Trial Results.
8a. A non-Italian Cima di rapa recipe.
9. Uses for Wild Fennel.
10. Olive Oil from Umbria
11. Growing tip. Misticanza.
12. Reader Comment & request for information on pickling hot peppers.
13. Reader Tip. Drying Tomatoes.
14. Onion Sets for 2007
15. Win an Italian Garden
The newsletter is on line. You can read it there and view photos of the various things mentioned below. If you want to read on line, go to: http://growitalian.com/seeds_from_italy_newsletter.htm
1. Privacy Policy. A number of people on their order forms asked me not to sell or divulge their personal information: address, telephone numbers, email addresses, etc. I want everyone to understand that I take privacy very seriously. I never disclose any customer information to anyone under any circumstances. I have been bothered by too many telemarketers, received too much junk email to do that to anyone else. I don't even keep credit card numbers: a number of customers who reordered and told me to use their credit card number on file were surprised when I told them I do not keep them on my computer, nor do I have access to them from the credit card authorizing service.
2. Defective seed. Earlier in the year I sent out some Napoleatano Bolloso basil from N. Sgaravatti & company. (the packs were larger than the regular Franchi packs and said 'Unipack' on the packet). My apologies. The seed was as dead as they come. Anyone who received this should contact me for a free replacement pack from Franchi Sementi or you can get a credit the next time you order something. I had destroyed all the other seed I had bought from this company earlier in the year, but I thought the basil was good-it had tested fine, but apparantly some of it was defective. Needless to say, I will never again buy from this company.
3. New seed varieties available. I have become fascinated with varieties from Southern Italy and that has been my focus in new varieties over the past year. I recently received a number of new varieties from a small seed company in Bari. They are all up on the web site. The following are available:
a. Pole Bean, Garrafal Oro. This is a flat roma type bean which is hard to find [it comes from a small seed company in Bari]. I have had a number of requests from customers for this bean. It has bronze seed, absolutely no strings, gets about as large as a supermarconi & tastes very good. I am trialing some and will report on it later on in the year. It comes in 50 gram packs (35% or so larger than regular size Franchi bean packs) and is $2.95 per pack. It is on the web site.
b. Zucchini San Pasquale. This is a zucchini common in Southern Italy. It is dark/light green with some ribbing. Taste is said to be very good. Will plant some and report on it later in the year if it ever stops raining. Price is $2.75 per pack.
c. Cardo Selvatico (wild cardoon). This is the ancester of all cardoon & artichokes. Native to Southern Italy (or perhaps North Africa) the wild cardoon is said to be really flavorful. Stems are smaller than cultivated cardoon & it thrives in harsh conditions. I believe the seed is grown in Bari by the company that I buy it from (Fuscello Tesoro). You can poke around their web site {not complete unfortunately} at http://www.seedseuroselect.com/it_prodotti.asp These are expensive: $3.25 per pack.
d. Cima di rapa sel fasano cima grande 40 day. [big top] A variety from bari. 40 day but has a big head which grows down low. I grew some of it earlier the year and was impressed. 12 or so gram pack. $2.75. (also availabale in 100 gram - 3.5 ounce - packs)
e. Cima di rapa sel fasano cima grande 60 day. Same as above but the sixty day variety. Bigger heads than the 40 day. In actuality, it takes 40-45 days or so to mature. $2.75 (also availabale in 100 gram - 3.5 ounce - packs)
f. Endive riccia louviers. I have been looking for years for one of those fancy frilly endives with the tiny leaves. I am hoping this one is it. The packet picture sure looks like it, but I have learned that sometimes Italian companies take certain liberties with the photos they put on their seed packs. In any case, it looks like the genuine frisee. This is said to be an old variety from France. $2.75
g. Pepper San Salvatore Piccante sel. cosentino. This is a hot version of the sweet sheepnose pepper from Calabria of the same name. Even though it is getting late, I am going to try & get some going and see if I can keep them going in the greenhouse. Will report later in the year. Price is $2.75
h. Scuplit (Silene Inflata) 'aromatic’ to flavor salads, egg dishes, risotto. Flavor is a bit like a combination of arugula, tarrogon, chicory & other herbs. Annual. Easy to grow. I think it takes 60 or so days. Direct seed from last frost date to early summer. Pick at any size. Widely used in Italy, but not anywhere else.
4. Garlic from Italy. This year I plan to bring in garlic from Italy again. Last year I was able to figure out the import system for garlic
and had three varieties: bianco piacentino[white hardneck from
piacenza], rosso di sulmona[red hardneck from abruzzo] and viola francese [a huge purple softneck of French origin]. Last
years hardneck has done very well in the trial garden. Virtually every clove came up. My brother the farmer planted half an acre of the hardneck and he says he has never seen garlic do so well, especially since he never got around to mulching it last fall. There is a photo of mine up on the web version of the newsletter. The plan is to order it in mid July & it should be available in mid September or so. For you organic growers, please note that all garlic imported into the US from Europe must be treated with methyl bromide. I am not sure it is legal to use it if you are a certified organic grower [though you could always grow it out in a non-certified field and use the bulbs as seed stock the following year] The price will be more or less the same as last year. I will turn on the garlic selections on the web site the beginning of August and you can order anytime from then on. You can also order by telephone. I get a limited supply and last year was unable to reorder because they had run out. So, if you want garlic, order by late September or so. If you want large quantities, please call in advance so I can make sure I get enough (and we can probably work out a better price).
5. Backorders. The last of the backorders should go out by 20 June [The only thing I am still waiting for is one of the mushrooms] So, if you have not received something backordered, that means that I made a mistake and you should contact me. Telephone me at 781 721 5904 or preferably, send an email to
bmckay@growitalian.com Inform me what is missing and please include your name and mailing address. If I did forget something you ordered, my apologies.
6. Lampascioni. How are things going for those of you who bought lampascioni. I have had one customer who can not get it to get going. I know very little about growing it and can not find any information. So, if you started any this year, please let me know how you went about it and I will try and consolidate the information for other growers.
7. New seed varieties for 2007. I am in the process of thinking of which new varieties to bring in for 2007. If any of you have any suggestions, please send them along. Be as specific as you can. If you know the name of the company and the location, put that in. Also, in addition to the name, please give as specific a description as you can. What I have discovered is that although there is an 'official name' for every variety sold in Italy, not every company uses the official name on the packet. Also, lots of varieties have local names so if you got it from Uncle Alberto, what he called it is probably not a name I would recognize.
I can't make any promises since they may not be available from the companies I have generally buy from. [90% of my seed comes from Franchi Sementi which I think is the best seed company in Italy. I buy from two small companies in Bari & a few things from Fratelli Ingenoli in Milan. All have proven to be reliable and sell quality seeds.
8. Spring Trial Results. It has not been an easy spring here in Eastern Massachusetts. It has been cooler than normal and the rain has been non-stop. We have had almost twenty inches of rain in the past 30 days (that is half of our annual average) and today (June 15th) we got another inch or two. In addition, the woodchucks have been especially bothersome this year. Nevertheless, there are several things to mention.
Radish Zlatta. This is new this year. It is a yellow radish from Poland. Franchi does a fair amount of business in Eastern Europe and
this is one of the two varieties from there that they began to distribute this year. The packet photo shows a brilliant yellow radish. The radish are indeed yellow, but perhaps not as bright yellow as the photo pack. They are more a pale yellow. They are mild tasting and have a pretty purplish tint to the stem just above the radish. They can get pretty good sized and maintain quality. The photo of them on the web site gives a bit of an idea what I have gone through this spring; some of the radish have been damaged by various root chewing bugs and the flea beetles have done a job on the tops. Nevertheless, they are a keeper.
Lettuce. I had planted riccia invernale, ciuccia, delle 7 lune romaine &
cocarde. Some went out in late April (five week transplants)
and just sat there getting rained on and cold. Things finally got going and they were ready for harvest (except for the romaine) when the baby woodchucks from next door slipped through the fence and harvested them for me. Only the cocarde & delle 7 lune survived (they were off in a corner). Will try again later in the summer. In any case, the cocarde is a very impressive lettuce. Beautiful color (dark green with some red), open habit with big stems and 'oak leaves'. Taste is really good. I will leave some out to see how it does with bolting, but this is definitely a winner.
Cima di rapa sel fasano cima grande. This is a variety from southern Italy and it unusual in that it makes lots of little tops. The stem is very short and the little tops grow both in the center of the plant and also out of the intersection of the leaves and the stems. Flavor was excellent. Like all
rapa, it will bolt fairly soon after it begins to make tops, so be vigilent and pick it as soon as the main top
begins to open. There is a photo up on the website. The other trick with cima di rapa is make sure you give it enough space. Six inches is pretty good. If you space it too close, it does not make much in the way of leaves and goes to seed quickly. I just made a planting of 40, 60 & 90 day cima di
rapa, both the cima grande & the Franchi version. Will do a comparison of each & report later on in the year.
8a. A non-Italian recipe for cima di rapa. I tumbled on this one day when I had a lot of cima di rapa ready and had run out of pasta. Cima di rapa with potatoes. Boil a bunch of cima di rapa until it is done, drain & save some of the cooking water. Cook some waxy potatoes (red or white potatoes from California, Maine potatoes, etc [avoid baking potatoes). I just cut them in chunks with the skin on and boil them. Remove from heat when done, drain & let them sit a bit to firm up. Put some olive oil in a pan and add garlic to taste. Cook until it changes color, add a pinch of hot pepper flakes & add the cima di rapa (I cut it up into smaller pieces first) and saute to meld things. Add the potatoes & if needed, some of the cooking water. Cook a bit & serve as a side dish (or a main dish if you are a cima di rapa fan like me).
9. Uses for Wild Fennel. This information is from Mike Sola and Amy-Louise Pfeffer of Conway, Massachusetts who used to live in
Umbria. Here are some of the ways wild fennel is used in different parts of Italy.
In Western Umbria, people gather the tops of the plants, dry them, and use the blossoms on potatoes or meat (especially pork) roasting in the oven, and also on batter-fried vegetables.
In Le Marche, the young leaves of the plant are used in the famous porchetta (whole roast pig) or in any of the dishes done "in
porchetta," that is, "cooked like roast pig."
In Sicily, the young feathery new leaves are used in the classic dish, pasta with sardines. The small leaves are first blanched in the pasta's cooking water, then removed and added to the remaining ingredients.
10. Olive Oil from Umbria. The couple above, Mike Sola and Amy-Louise Pfeffer used to live in Citta della Pieve in
Umbria. Like lots of homes in rural parts of Italy, the house came with its own olive grove. When they left Italy for Massachusetts (why you might ask), they decided to import the olive oil from their farm to the United States. The oil is currently being offered in 5-liter tins. For a detailed description of what makes this oil so special or to order, write them at
mikesola@gmail.com or phone 413-369-4660.
DISCLAIMER. I (bill mckay) am not involved in this as a business partner or any other way (except that Mike has bought some seeds from me). I thought it would be nice to mention it because it is so unusual and the idea of getting the genuine article was intriguing.
11. Growing tip. Misticanza. Previously I have mentioned that I think the best way to grow misticanza (lettuce, 4 seasons, chicory or
the endive mixes)is just to broadcast seed it and harvest when it is very small. What I try to do is every two weeks or so plant a small section (one foot by a three foot wide bed). I just scatter the seed on the surface trying to get each seed about an 1/2 inch apart. Tamp it down & keep it watered until it comes up in a few days. It is ready to harvest when it is four or five inches tall. Just take a knife and slice about one inch above the soil line, harvesting as much as you need for your salad. When you cut through your patch, turn everything over and replant. There is a photo of a little salad patch up on the web site.
12. Reader Comment & request for information on pickling hot peppers. I just wanted to let you know that I am VERY happy with the seeds I purchased this year. I just can’t believe the germination rate as it was extremely high. With my family being from Italy years ago and after having been there several times in the last couple of years, it makes us feel really good growing these seeds. It’s something we will be doing year after year. I even have my young children involved, maybe it will turn into a family tradition.
One thing you may be able to help me with though. I am searching for a step by step recipe for pickling my topepo rosso and Calabria
hots. I would like to jar them whole if at all possible. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
13. Reader Tip. Drying Tomatoes. Hi, Bill! I have been really remiss in not sharing this with you before-I used to grow Principe Borgehese tomatoes for dried tomatoes. I can't say I was fond of doing it, because they dropped fruit like crazy and were a pain to keep up with in the pruning department. Plus they were loaded with seeds when dried, and the husband is not big on seedy food. Last year we had kazillions of San Marzanos and after freezing, canning, and giving away, still had lots of tomatoes. I don't run my compost at so hot a temperature that I can cook the tomato seeds, so I can't compost them and hate to just toss them in the woods. My husband suggested I try drying some. I sliced them in half longitudinally, scooped out the seeds and dried quite a few in my dryer. Man, are they delicious! I will never dry anything else! Just adding them to sauce, soups, or tapinades give such a wonderful flavor! Not to mention bruschetta topping. And it avoids the seed issue - so many people can't tolerate them or just don't like
'em. So I pass it along to you. Happy Gardening! Marytion made my day.
14. Onion Sets for 2007. A number of people have asked if I sell transplants. I do not; in fact, during the crazy season from January through April I hardly have time to get my own stuff going. I have been wary of having someone else do it because of quality control
problems, but I think I have found a solution, at least for onion sets which are often requested. This year I got some onion sets from a grower in Texas who has a business of growing them and supplying them to seed companies. These sets were from Italian seed and included most of the popular onions:
borretana, tropea rossa, lunga fiorintino, biance di maggio and genovese. I got a sample of each variety and put them in the garden in late April. There is a photo up on the web site of these taken on June 15. Check them out at: They look pretty darned impressive. So, next year I am pretty sure that I will offer onion sets for at least four & perhaps five varieties. May also do a leek. Would be interested in knowing if people are interested in these.
15. Win an Italian Garden (ten packs of seeds actually). In addition to mail order, I also distribute to retail outlets in the Northeast and just about anywhere else where there is not a Franchi agent. I distribute to both garden centers and also to larger Italian Markets. (There are no Franchi agents in the Northwest or in the southern US if anyone is interested). My best customers tend to be Italian Markets, though large garden centers in the right kind of area do well also. If any of you provide me with the name of a place that subsequently decides to become a retail outlet, you will receive ten packs of Franchi seeds. The ideal place is a large busy Italian Market with a lot of traffic through the store or a large garden center in an area where there is a fair sized Italian population. I am especially interested in finding an outlet on Arthur Ave in the Bronx and 9th Street in Philadelphia.
Good growing and may your garden be woodchuck & deer free.
Bill McKay