As May rolled around my thoughts turned to planting tomatoes. As usual, I seeded my tomato plants in my greenhouse in March, and introuduced them to my coldframe in April.  On March 2, I awoke to the perfect planting day.  It was a warm, overcast day with night temperatures predicted to be about 8 degrees.  I jumped at the chance to get my tomato plants into the ground.

In my mind, tomatoes, basilico and mozarella cheese are the perfect trifecta and reminiscent of the colours on Italian flag. But how did the tomato become such a  strong part of Italian culture? It is not indigenous to Italy, or Europe for that matter. The tomato was first "discovered" by the Spanish Conquistadors while exploring and then conquering the Americas. The odd thing is that the tomato became popular in Europe long before it came to be used in North America. Colonial Americans thought of the tomato as a poisonous plant, after all, it's a close cousin or Nightshade, a well know toxic vine. Columbus and other explorers introduced the tomato to Europe in the 1500s.

The first time the pomi d'oro is mentioned by name in Italy was in 1548 in Tuscany.  Italians learned to fry tomatoes up with eggplant, squash and onions, and used the dish as a condiment on bread and with meats. The cuisine of Southern Italian peasants, who often lacked meats and other proteins on a regular basis, developed into a mostly vegetarian diet in which tomatoes and olive oil, spices and vegetables were and eaten with bread, rice or polenta. 

There is a strong competition for bragging rights on the best tomato. For many, the San Marzano is at the top of the list.  Last year’s heat wave, and the resuting poor set of tomato blossoms, may have some people convinced this may not be so. 

The San Marzano region became synonomous for the go-to canning tomato over 120 years ago, and is still the primary tomato used in canned tomatoes--and even for the production of sun dried tomatoes. The reason for it's success is not because it's the best tasting tomato... it's simply because it was developed and hybridized from three other varieties which made it withstand mechanical harvesting techniques put in place in the late 1800s to satisfy the needs of the growing canning industry. 

Cultivating and processing tomatoes is possible in many areas in Italy, but three regions account for almost 90% of production: Puglia, with more than 50%; Emilia-Romagna, with 30%  and Campania, with about 8%.

Inside a mature green tomato, two growth hormones change and cause the production of ethylene gas, which in turn turns it into a red shade. Because of this process, tomatoes are one of the only vegetables, or fruits that can be picked before they’re completely ripe. There are a multitude of ways to prepare tomatoes: from dried to roasted, to stewed, canned or even frozen; as many ways as there are tomato varieties! Sun drying tomatoes and storing them in olive oil is also a proven way to preserve large stores of tomatoes.

Perhaps the most exciting time for an Italian tomato connoisseur is the fall harvest and the preparation of the winter’s supply of tomato sauce. Many people now make this ritual a family affair, with an aura of festivity, food and wine.  Although I still make my own tomato sauce, I only gow a dozen or so plants… just enough to give me a summer and fall supply. I rely on our local produce stands to supply my winter preserves.

Sources:
Italian Feelings, food and taste Blog, Oct 2, 2017
https://www.italian-feelings.com/harvest-time-for-italian-tomatoes/#:~:text=Cultivating%20and%20processing%20tomatoes%20is%20possible%20in%20many,8%25.%20Tomato%20cultivation%20and%20harvesting%20in%20Southern%20Italy

How the Tomato Became Part of Italian Culture, May 3, 2016
http://www.grandvoyageitaly.com/piazza/how-the-tomato-became-part-of-italian-culture

Growing up on our family farm, peperoni were a big part of our lives.  My parents grew thousnads of pepper plants each year to ship to Italian families throughout British Columbia and Alberta. They were among a dozen families in the Central Okanagan that had, during the 40s and 50s, established their own market.  The peppers were ordered by mail and shipped out by rail. Whether hot, mild or sweet, thousands of pounds of peppers were harvested each year.
​
Like the tomato, peppers are botanical fruits, but culinary vegetables, that are native to Mexico, Central America, and northern South America.  Pepper seeds were imported to Spain in 1493 and then spread through Europe and Asia. The name “pepper” was bestowed by Europeans when Christopher Columbus brought the plant back to Europe. At that time, black pepper (peppercorns), from the unrelated plant “Piper nigrum,” originating from India, was a highly prized condiment. The name “pepper” was applied in Europe to all known spices with a hot and pungent taste. It was later applied to these fruits as well. In American English, hot peppers are referred to as chilis, in  British English as chillis and in Spanish as chiles.

Sweet peppers, or "Bell Peppers”, go back at least to the late 1600's where the "pirate" and ship's surgeon Lionel Wafer wrote about them in the book "A New Voyage and Description of the Isthmus of America” in the Caribean. Like their close relatives, chili peppers, bell peppers are sometimes dried and powdered. In that case, they are referred to as paprika. China is the world's largest producer of bell and chili peppers, followed by Mexico, Turkey, Indonesia, and the United States.

The most sought after peppers by Italian famiies is the Pimento (also spelled pimiento). It is the sweetest pepper, with the thickest flesh making it the favourable pepper for roasting and canning.  Fresh pimento peppers are hard to find in grocery stores but canned or bottled ones can be found in just about every grocery store. They are also commonly used as a stuffing in green olives or in pimento loaf deli meat.

Peppers are low in calories and exceptionally rich in vitamin C and other antioxidants, making them an excellent addition to a healthy diet. Preferred growing conditions for peppers include warm, moist soil in a temperature range of 21 to 29 °C (70 to 84 °F)

Sources:
1. https://kitchenproject.com/history/Peppers/Bell-Peppers/index.htm
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_pepper
3. https://www.epicurious.com/ingredients/20-types-of-peppers-and-their-uses-article
4. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/bell-peppersBell
5. https://www.thekitchn.com/what-are-pimiento-peppers-ingredient-intelligence-214958

Eggplants, or melanzane, were grown in abundance on our farm.  Each winter, my parents received mail orders for hundreds of pounds of these beauties from Italian families throughout British Columbia and Alberta.  As the melanzane were harvested, they were packed in used cardboard boxes, in which Calona Wines had received their glass wine jugs. Each morning, the packed boxes were brought to the train station for delivery to families, who would preserve the eggplants for their winter use.  There, they would be fried, roasted or salted and pickled.

Melananze are warm weather lovers, and prefer rich, but well drained soil.  They are subject to wilt and other moisture loving diseases, so do best when one can avoid watering their leaves.

In locations, including Burma, India, Northern Thailand, and Southern China, melanzane plants are native species that have been cooked and consumed for centuries. The wild melanzane plants were domesticated and cultivated, beginning in ancient times. A 300 BC Sanskrit document made note of the plant and discussed the fruit in positive terms. In China, evidence of melanzane cultivation was found in documents from the Western Jin Dynasty, written as early as the 3rd century. The eggplant reached Southern Italy by the 9th century. Arabs brought the fruits along with them as they expanded their territory into the region.

Melanzane was consumed by fearless foodies in the Calabrian and Sicilian regions of Italy, although some people were initially wary of the funny egg-shaped produce. In ancient Roman gardens, white-colored melanzane species may have been cultivated as purely ornamental plants.

The name melanzane is derived from the name mala insana , meaning mad apple. This Renaissance-era term for the plant, sprung from the belief that the fruit made people angry and full of melancholy.

The melanzane plant has many names: aubergine (from the French), brinjal (South African and South Asian), guinea squash (South American) and melongene, the word used in the Caribbean.

In early cultures, eggplant was considered a medicinal ingredient as well as a food source. All parts of the plants, including the roots, were used to treat ailments. Some illnesses thought to be treated with melanzane include: asthma, dental issues, diabetes and intestinal upset.

Other ancient medical practitioners believed the eggplant caused more problems than it cured. Everything from pimples to epilepsy was blamed on the melanzane.

It was once thought that salting and soaking removed risks from the plant. Many traditional Italian chefs continue to salt and soak eggplant before cooking, but the steps are not necessary to enjoy the healthy fruit.
​
The earliest detailed reference “Eggplant Parmesan” occurred in an 18th century cookbook. The dish was made with butter, cream sauce, cinnamon, and other spices and then covered with Parmesan cheese. The dish included tomatoes, after their arrival in the New World, around the same time period.

References:
“A short history of Melanzane, or eggplant” from Picano’s Italian Grille (Michigan) July 25, 2018
https://www.picanos.com/blog/a-short-history-of-melanzane-or-eggplant

14 Gorgeous Eggplant Varieties from Four Root Farm (Connecticut)
https://www.foodandwine.com/vegetables/eggplant/14-gorgeous-eggplant-varieties-four-root-farm?slide=3877ff25-670f-402e-ba82-4143dd69daff#3877ff25-670f-402e-ba82-4143dd69daff

Nuts, of all sorts, have been part of all our family gatherings. Christmas, Easter, or special event dinners at my Nonno and Nonna’s table brings up memories of talking, playing cards, and cracking nuts.  Filbert nuts and walnuts are easily grown in our climate so they formed the bulk of the nuts we shared.  For special dinners, a few Brazil nuts and almonds were usually thrown into the mix.   Nut crackers and picks were essential tools in most Italian homes that made the job of cracking these nuts easier.

In many parts of the world, filberts are known as hazelnuts. That's because the feast day, or celebration, for France's St. Philbert is held on August 20. This happens to be the same time that hazelnuts are ready to be harvested. Because of that coincidence, in Europe, where hazelnuts are widely eaten, the nuts are known as filberts.  Although the terms filbert and hazelnut are used interchangeably, filbert typically refers to commercially cultivated crops of hazelnuts.

In the Piemonte region of Italy, the filbert is held in reverence.  In her March 13, 2015 article, “Italian Hazelnuts: The great history of a small nut”, Emilia Crippa describes  the “round noble from Piedmont” in elegant terms.  These special filberts are gown in protected geographical regions that provide a guarantee of excellence in a globalized world, which often rewards large-scale businesses over tradition and specialization.

The Tonda Gentile Trilobata hazelnut is considered by connoisseurs to be one of the very best. It's widely used in the area to produce a traditional cake called Torta di Nocciola, a famous chocolate confection of Turin known as Gianduja, and a grape preserve called cugnà to accompany bollito misto (a northern Italian stew) or cheese.

Filberts can be used in many different ways, such as the base of alcoholic liqueurs, in cakes, cookies, and chocolate production, and in soups, salads, and other savory dishes. Filberts can also be used to make a high-quality finishing oil, or as a flavoring for coffee and other beverages. They make superb gelato too. They are also excellent simply toasted and served before a meal with hors d'oeuvres or after with cheese.

In 2019, the world production of hazelnuts (in shells) was 1.1 million tonnes. The hazelnut production in Turkey accounts for 69% of the world total, followed by Italy, Azerbaijan, the United States, Chile, and China.  Ferrero SpA, the maker of Nutella and Ferrero Rocher, uses 25% of the global supply of hazelnuts.

Growing filberts in many parts of Italy has become a fine art. In the area in Piedmont between Asti, Cuneo and Alessandria, know-how and beauty make up for quantity: trees are grown with elegant regularity, and feature a lithe trunk – especially in the bushy variant – that even newcomers cannot help but notice. Farming and picking techniques have been combined and fine-tuned in order to allow for higher yield while respecting the identity and tradition of the local territory: trees are planted exactly 5 meters apart in hazelnut orchards, leaving just enough room for a self-propelled picking machine.
​
In many towns annual filbert festivals are held.  If you want to enter the universe dedicated to Nocciola Piemonte, visit Cortemilia, in the Langhe region, in August. The Sagra della nocciola, nearing 70 years of celebrations, turns the small town in the province of Cuneo into the capital of this delicious gift of nature.

Sources:
1. “Italian Hazelnuts: The great history of a small nut”, by Emilia Crippa, March 13,  2015 https://www.italianways.com/italian-hazelnuts-the-great-history-of-a-small-nut/
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazelnut
3. https://tastetruffles.com/piedmonts-best/igp-piedmont-hazelnut/
4. https://tastetruffles.com/piedmonts-best/igp-piedmont-hazelnut/
5. https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel/2019/09/photo-story-hazelnuts-piedmont-italy
6. https://www.tavolartegusto.it/ricetta/torta-di-nocciole/

When it comes to winter edible favourites, chestnuts rise to the top of my list.  As a child, chestnuts were synonymous with Christmas Eve.  Our family would drive around Kelowna oohing and aching at all the beautiful Christmas light displays.  Upon our return home we were treated to a feast of chestnuts served up with, a rarity in our house at the time, Seven up for Dad and Pepsi for the rest of us.  I have carried out this tradition whenever possible, even checking out a cruise ship’s kitchen one year while at sea.  I still rely on boiling them, but now  often substituting wine for the Pepsi.  Shortly after we were married, I was introduced to chestnut stuffed duck… what a special dinner that was.

Chestnuts belong to the family Fagaceae, which also includes oaks and beeches. The four main species groups are American, European, Chinese, and Japanese chestnuts.  All four groups being to the sub family, Castanea.  The unrelated horse chestnut, is not a true chestnut. It does produce nuts of similar appearance, but they are mildly poisonous to humans. They should also not be confused with water chestnuts, which are tubers of an aquatic plant in the sedge family. 

Chestnuts have been a staple food in southern Europe, Turkey, and southwestern and eastern Asia for millennia, largely replacing cereals where these would not grow well, if at all, in mountainous Mediterranean areas.  Evidence of its cultivation is found since around 2000 BC.  Alexander the Great and the Romans planted chestnut trees across Europe while on their various campaigns.  Until the introduction of the potato, whole forest-dwelling communities, relied on chestnuts as their main source of carbohydrates.  In some parts of Italy, a cake made of chestnuts is used as a substitute for potatoes.  In 1583, Charles Estienne and Jean Liébault wrote, "an infinity of people live on nothing else but (the chestnut)".

Native Americans were eating the American chestnut species, long before European immigrants introduced their stock to America.  In some places, such as the Appalachian Mountains, one-quarter of hardwoods were chestnuts.

Today, the demand for the nut outstrips supply.  Since the mid-20th century, most of the US imports are from Southern Italy, with the large, meaty, and richly flavored Sicilian chestnuts being considered among the best quality for bulk sale and supermarket retail.

Chestnuts can eaten fresh, roasted or boiled, used in baking, preserved in sugar, or dried and ground into a flour.  Several years ago, our Kelowna Canadian Italian Club served up an after dinner treat of roasted chestnuts.  They were on the small side, but were very easy to clean and tasted wonderful.  I tracked down their source but soon found out they were sold out for the year.  But, one day, while waiting for Jane at an appointment, another client entered and brought a bag of chestnuts to the receptionist.  Of course I had to ask where she got them from.  The subsequent conversation led me to meet a fellow old time Kelowna family and a supply of chestnuts from their small acreage.  Winter evenings have become better than ever before.  Freshly cooked chestnuts and a glass of wine are the perfect way to end a day.
 
Life is good!
​
Source:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chestnut

They brought them in suitcases and in trunks, tucked into the corners of boats and, later, on airplanes. Seeds that became rapini, cardoons, artichokes, cucuzza squash. Cuttings from knobby grape vines that flourished into backyard arbors. And, above all, bits of stick that grew into fig trees. Starting in the late 1800s, when Italian immigrants poured into U.S. port cities, the Mediterranean trees took root in unexpected places: cities whose cold-weather climates seemed hostile to the plant. Yet the trees grew, even if their owners had to wrap them in burlap or bury them underground so they’d survive the cold winters. 
​
One can often identify a garden with Italian roots.  Objects such as old-fashioned gardening tools; the icons of Roman Catholic Saints; braids of garlic hanging from garage ceilings; and fig trees.  These gardens were sanctuaries for many of our Italian ancestors.  They would come home from work on railways, mines and stores and work in their gardens.  This was a place they felt most comfortable.  Upon immigration, they brought a little bit of Italy with them.  They never forgot where they came from.
For Italians, the love affair with fig trees comes from the reverence for a historical means of survival. For agricultural people in Southern Italy, a fig tree offered a source of fruit that could be dried and kept for lean times. The trees also became a symbol of adaptation.  If one’s fig tree could adapt and grow in a new country, so would the Italian immigrant.

Several fig tree varieties originate from Italy.  Fig trees produce fruit harvests in June through November.  The average height of these trees are 15 to 30 feet when mature, although some trees reach up to 50 feet. Fig fruits usually have dark-brown or greenish skins that are easy to peel. The Paradiso fig tree originates from the northern Italian city of Genoa.  The Tarantella fig tree's name is derived from Taranto City, a town in southern Italy.  The round Tarantellas have brown skin and juicy, sweet fruit.  The White Triana fig tree originates from the Triana, a small community in Italy's Tuscany region. The fruit of white trianas have yellowish skin and juicy, reddish flesh.  San Pietro Figs grow on San Pietro Island in the Mediterranean Coast, less than 10 miles from Sardinia, Italy. The fig was named after San Pietro, an iconic figure in Catholicism.

The common fig, Ficus carica, is a temperate tree native to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. Generally, this would mean that folks living in cooler climes couldn’t grow figs, right? Wrong. Meet the Chicago Hardy fig. What is a Hardy Chicago Fig? Native to Sicily, hardy Chicago figs, as the name suggests, are the most cold tolerant fig trees available. This beautiful fig tree bears luscious medium sized figs which are produced on older wood in the early summer and fruit on new growth in the early fall. Also known as ‘Bensonhurst Purple’, this tree can grow up to 30 feet (9 m.) in height or can be restrained to around 6 feet (2 m.). Chicago figs do well as container grown trees and are drought tolerant once established.

Sources:
1.  The Italian Immigrants Who Grew Fig Trees in Unlikely Places by Reina Gattuso, December 16, 2020  https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/italian-fig-trees
2.  What Is A Hardy Chicago Fig? by Amy Grant. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/fruits/figs/hardy-chicago-fig-trees.htm

Prunes (Italian plums or prune plums) have always been part of my life.  My parents and grandparents had a small acreage of prunes.  It was the only fruit crop that they grew for commercial purposes.  They are relatively easy to grow, requiring little to no spraying for pests and diseases.  Both early varieties, middle of August harvest, and late varieties, Labour Day harvest, were grown on our farm.  While I was growing up on the farm, the prune picking was undertaken by the children of the neighbourhood.  The money earned from the picking was turned into the purchase of back to school supplies.  These supplies were purchased at the Rexall Drug Store, who gave out free Paramount movie passes for the first Saturday in September matinee.

The majority of the Prune crop was sold to local packing houses for export.  The few locals that ate Prunes, grew their own.  Over the years Kelowna has developed a taste for these versatile and healthy fruits.  Prunes are native to the the Mediterranean coastal regions of Italy, and although they are named after their country of origin, they are not a favourite there.  Instead, these Prunes (Zwetschgen) are a hit in Germany and feature in many Germany desserts. We have been the lucky recipient of several excellent gluten free “Plum Kuchens” from our neighbour, Ann.

Prunes are known for their sweet flavour, that becomes deeper with baking.  You can eat them fresh and plain.  They are a fantastic source of potassium, calcium, phosphate, and Vitamins C and B.  The skins provide antioxidants, and of course, dietary fiber.  Prunes make excellent lunch box snack as they are not messy and, unlike plums, are easily detached from their pits. But, in baking they become superstars.  That firm skin helps them hold up well when baked, and the sweet flavour deepens and becomes more complex when exposed to heat.  You can also dry prunes for storage.  You will not be limited to only eating them as plain Prunes.  You can later use them in baked dishes or in trail mix. Our family still dries Prunes each year.  We dry them to a “liquorice” texture and then freeze them.  In this frozen state, they keep for years and can be dipped into and eaten straight from the freezer.

Prunes cook up well.  Each year I cook up a large pot full, letting it simmer for several hours until it is quite thick.  I freeze it in 2-cupful containers, that are ready for making my Prune loaves.  I also can some of it, no sugar or pectin added, for use as a jam or ice-cream topping.

Because Prunes are not created by cross pollination, you can actually grow your own from the seed of a ripe fruit.  Let the seed set outside over the winter, and then plant after the cold period has ended.  You can plant a single Prune tree and expect fruit because it is self-pollinating.  These trees are among the easiest fruit trees to grow, so they are great for gardeners just getting started.  

The Italian Gardener visited Frank and Romi Marcanio's garden and talked about how a backyard garden is at the heart of a continuing tradition of sharing the harvest with family and friends, whether it's shared "a tavola" or as a box of zucchini, tomatoes and beans that suddenly appears at your front door!
​

I believe garlic can be described as the perfect symbol that portrays both an Italian garden and Italian cooking.  It is an essential part of both.  There are many types, varieties and selections of garlic. Some of the most commercially grown include Spanish Roja, Yugoslavian and French. California Early and California Late are also grown, but markets seem to prefer pungent types compared to mild.  Roadside and specialty markets prefer selections having pink, red or purple streaks in the skin. Supermarkets generally prefer white skin garlic.  Elephant garlic is not a true garlic. It is more closely related to leeks.  And then there are the Italian home garden varieties.  Many of these are unnamed, having made their way to our gardens from family and friends many generations ago.  The complete guide for growing garlic can be found at the AgriServiceBC website: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/industry/agriservice-bc/production-guides/vegetables/garlic.
​
There are two main types of garlic: hardneck and softneck.  Hardneck varieties develop a long flowering stem, called a scape, which eventually develops tiny bulbils at its top end.  Scapes should be cut from hardneck garlic plants in the early summer, as the production of bulbils can rob energy from the plant and result in smaller garlic heads at the end of the growing season.  Hardneck garlic varieties tend to do best in colder climates as they are more winter hardy.  Hardneck garlics peel easier.  Hardneck varieties do not store as well as softnecks. They begin to deteriorate and shrivel within four to six months of harvest.
Once harvested garlic may be stored in mesh bags or slatted crates or hung in braided ropes or bunches from the rafters. Any cool, well-ventilated place will do for storage through the winter months. In very cold areas the bulbs should be protected from freezing.  Garlic can also be frozen, stored in wine or oil, dried or pickled.  To freeze garlic, peel the cloves and puree them with oil in a blender or food processor, using two parts oil to one part garlic. The puree will stay soft enough in the freezer to scrape out parts to use in cooking.

As far as I know soft neck garlic was the only type of garlic grown in the Okanagan.  Occasionally there was one or two garlic plants that would produce a scape.  If there was a field full of scapes, it was said to be planted during the “wrong moon”.  Somewhere in the past 25 years the majority of garlic in our gardens seems to be the hardneck type.  Many markets now sell these garlic scapes for use in stir fries.  I have begun to mince the majority of my garlic scapes with olive oil, in the food processor.  Some of this pulp is stored in jars to use on garlic toast or in stir fries.  I add some pumpkin seeds to the rest for use in pesto sauce.

Garlic production by market venders is growing in numbers.  This year I visited Janzen Garlic Acres in East Kelowna and attended the Garlic Festival in Lake Country.  Janzen Garlic Acres combines a garlic market with an outdoor play space. This play and picnic are has a cow train, hayrides, play sandboxes, retro vintage tractors, seeding and transplanting activities, petting zoo and picking up freshly laid eggs.  It is operated by Monde and Fred Janzen.  The Garlic Festival was organized by The Ghostly Garlic market.  They started in the Fall of 2013 planting 20 head of garlic in one 4x8 planter box and fast forward to 2021 they now have 40,000 head in the ground.  They plant, grow, harvest, cure and process every single clove.  Their products can be found at various Farmers Markets around the Okanagan Valley.  At their festival numerous venders shared their garlic products. There was lots of garlic in loose, braided or dried forms. Other garlic items included: pots, grinders, towels, art, jewelry, sauces, jams, pirogies, honeys, syrups and salts.

October is the perfect time to plant next year’s crop of garlic.  It can be planted in rows or, as I do, interspersed among the flower plants.  Put your garlic to bed by giving it a good mulch cover and next year, once more, enjoy your garlic, however you use it.

As we approach fall, some of a gardener’s time is spent on seed saving.  Many of my fellow gardeners grow plants that have their origins with their family and friends and that have been growing in their yards for many years.  What true gardener has not brought back seeds with them from their home town and home countries?  

Old time, or heritage seeds, are the best candidates for seed saving.  The seeds saved from heritage varieties will be true to their origins and produce a new plant identical to its parent plant.  This is not true of hybrid seeds, which are the basis of many modern day gardens. Having several varieties of similar plants growing close to each other could also result in the new seeds being a cross of two varieties.  The easiest to cross, possibly, are pumpkins and zucchini.  These two plants, grown side by side, will easily cross with the resulting plant being a green, zucchini shaped pumpkin. 

Not all crosses are bad.  Often, crosses produce some new colours, growing habits and flavours.  Last winter, a neighbour gave us a greenhouse tomato plant.  It was bred to produce a small split-proof fruit that ripened in the lower light conditions of February.  One of these tomatoes fell off and landed in the pot below where it produced a great number of seedlings.  I took two of these seedlings and they grew to produce large, very meaty, split-prone tomatoes.

Diligent seed savers take care to make sure their seed comes from plants that avoid these cross pollinating situations.  All of the Italian gardeners to whom I have talked,  have at least one or more plants that have a long pedigree.  Asking the variety name usually results in the name of the person who gave the gardener the seed or the town from where it came.  Romano beans and Chicoria were two items passed on to our family by the Mattioda family, hence they were always referred to as Mattioda beans and Mattioda lettuce.

Perhaps the plant with the oldest history in an Italian garden is garlic.  Although garlic seeds can be used for propagation, it takes two years to produce a cloved head.  The most common procedure is to save one’s best garlic heads for replanting in October.  Paste tomatoes are probably the most shared seeds among our fellow gardeners.  Chicoria often self seeds, ensuring each spring a fresh supply of greens.

To the Italian gardener, seed saving goes beyond the money saved.  It is considered a very important and an integral part of their gardening.   A phrase that is very common these days, is to “know where your food comes from”.  Saving ones own seeds ensures that we know exactly from where that food item comes.  There is also the Italian gardeners sense of pride, pride in the produce they grow, pride in being self-sufficient and pride in sharing those seeds with family and friends.  Pride is the very essence of the Italian garden.