*This seed is offered as part of the "Gusto Italiano Project", a collaborative partnership between Uprising Seeds, Italian breeders Smarties.Bio, and the Culinary Breeding Network. Certified organic seed is grown in Italy by Smarties.Bio.
From Lane Selman of the Culinary Breeding Network: "During the Radicchio Expedition we visited Farmer/Seed Saver/Plant Breeder Andrea Pitton of Azienda Agricola Pitton who is known for his own radicchio selections and other vegetables in Rivignano in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy in his field of broccolo fiolaro (Brassica oleracea). The cultivation of Broccolo Fiolaro dates back several centuries. The seed has not been commercial, rather saved from season to share and shared from farmer to farmer. Smarties.bio is now offering the seed commercially and maintaining the quality of this Italian heritage Brassica. Andrea Pitton says fiolaro it’s great in a frittata and as pesto made with walnuts or pine nuts and without cheese.. (recipes to come)
Broccolo fiolaro is on the Slow Food Ark of Taste list which is a living catalog of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction. From their site: "The name of Fiolaro broccoli derives from the presence of sprouts along the stem of the plant (known in local dialect as “fioi”) that end up in the pan, along with the youngest leaves. It is a product that is particular in that it does not have the typical taste or shape of other varieties of broccoli. The broccoli harvest happens between November and February, but according to tradition the most flavorful samples are those after the first frost, when, to defend themselves against the cold, the plants limit the amount of water held in their tissues, concentrating salts and sugars and making them more tasty. This variety of broccoli is rich in vitamins, mineral salts and calcium. The cultivation of this Fiolaro broccoli dates back to ancient Roman times. Cato the Elder spoke of it, recognizing its medicinal properties. Today, the typical production area is the hill of Creazzo, in the province of Vicenza in northeastern Italy. Fiolaro broccoli is at risk of disappearing because currently there are only two main producers. Moreover, the product is, for the most part, known only within its production area.”
Smarties.Bio's fiolaro is based on the old local ecotype, maintained on local farms for years. Selection work has improved uniformity and yield. 80 days.
Packet: 100 seeds
*This seed has tested negative for both Black Leg (Phoma lingam) and Black Rot (Xanthomonus campestris) as required by the WA Dept of Ag crucifer seed quarantine.
