What's Happening

The last two events on this year's calendar were very successful and great fun. Again it is so good to get first hand feed back from those of you who have grown Franchi seed and stop by to give me feedback. The Norton Street Italian Festa, Leichardt held on Sunday 26 October attracted a big crowd of Italophiles, and I was kept so busy, even with the help of some friends, that I did not get a chance to check out all the other activities on offer.

The Organic Fair at Allsun Farm, Gundaroo, an Australian Open Garden Scheme event held over the weekend of the 1st November was remarkable. In addition to the wide range of vegetables under cultivation, most of them Franchi varieties, and the integrated poultry farm (using chooks as tractors!), there were demonstrations of compost making, bed preparation, the use of worms, rock dust and mulch, and cooking demonstrations. Cima di rapa  or rapini  (see Maggie Beer's article in the September Gardening Australia Magazine) was picked straight from the garden, cooked briefly in boiling water, drained and finished off in some good olive oil, garlic and dried chilli and served as bruschetta. Delicious!

In Jamie Oliver's latest book, "Jamie at Home" (Penguin), he talks about growing and cooking vegetables and lists his favourites varieties. Not surprisingly, many are available from Franchi Sementi through The Italian Gardener and I have added a note in the description of the varieties as appropriate. For example he comments about that  "Nero di Toscana: cavolo nero, classic Italian Kale; one of the easiest veg to grow, edible from seedling leaves in spring right through the year". He does not mention that like all cabbage varieties, it is at its best when it matures in cold weather and preferably, gets frosted.

Planting Now

The time for spring planting of tomatoes, peppers and eggplant is rapidly drawing to a close except for those in the tropics, and it is now time to start thinking about planting those vegetables that need a long growing period in the lead up to winter when they are at their best. The cabbage family, heading chicory and radicchio, endive, leeks, and fennel. Summer plantings of lettuce, chard, carrots, beetroot, beans, sweetcorn, radish, herbs. The lettuce, chicory/radicchio and endive misticanza mixtures are great value and produce rapid results, but will need to be planted every 2-3 weeks in the summer to ensure a continuous supply.

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Welcome to the world of Italian vegetables. Here you will find a wonderful range of new varieties of familiar vegetables and herbs such as tomatoes, basil, rocket and zucchini. Others such as cavolo nero, cima di rapa, chicory and radicchio, will be known by those with an Italian background and to others with an interest in Italian food and travel.

The Italian Gardener sells vegetable and herb seed from Franchi Sementi S.P.A, one of the largest seed producers in Italy, and a family owned business since 1783. Italians are very fussy about their vegetables. For more than 220 years, Franchi have won the support of gardeners by offering a range of heirloom varieties, selected for their taste rather than “supermarket” characteristics of  transportability and uniformity. Franchi vegetables deliver on quality and flavour.

The attractive packets contain a very generous quantity of seed, typically two to five times that provided by other companies. Seed will last for several seasons if stored under cool, dark and dry conditions. All seed is tested for germination and purity and is unconditionally guaranteed to meet or exceed stated specifications. 

Chef and restauranteur Steve Manfredi comments “I'm a big fan of Franchi seeds and I buy from you regularly. Thank you so much for importing them. I love the fact that many of these seeds are Italian heirlooms and many just can't be found easily anywhere else. Other  customers have commented "...my father...has grown tomatoes all his life and believes these are the best he has tasted"  and "Thanks for the seeds. We love them. Fantastic service."

While vegetable descriptions and growing information on the rear of Franchi packets is in Italian, a brief description and cultural information in English is provided. The pictorial planting guide can be used by adding 6 months to the month indicated by Roman numerals. Red indicates a Mediterranean climate, and blue cool-cold winters. For additional information see Growing Tips.

The simple and straight forward approach of Italian cooking is popular world-wide. With Franchi seed, now you can grow a wonderful range of vegetables, your own Italian ingredients, and share in the enjoyment and benefits attributed to the Mediterranean diet. As stated in the River Café Cook Book Green (Ebury Press) “good food is about fresh, seasonal ingredients, organic whenever possible, used thoughtfully. It is something the Italians have always known”.   

Seed can be purchased from the Italian Gardener via this secure internet site with payment by credit card (Bankcard, Visa or Mastercard), or by completing the order form and faxing it with payment by credit card, or mailing it with payment by cheque, postal order or credit card. Seed can also be purchased from selected merchants.

Please email info@theitaliangardener.com.au if you have any questions regarding our products or  wholesale@theitaliangardener.com.au if you would like to comment on your gardening and cooking experiences. Please let us know if there are any additional Italian vegetable varieties that you would be interested in purchasing.

Geoff Hudson

General Inquires

Allsun Farm, PO Box 8050, Gundaroo, New South Wales, 2620

Email: info@theitaliangardener.com.au     Internet:  http://www.theitaliangardener.com.au

Phone:  (02) 6236 8173         Fax:  (02) 9383 8894

Wholesale inquiries

The Italian Gardener Pty Ltd     ABN  46 113 070205

Email:  wholesale@theitaliangardener.com.au

Phone:  0407 833 930         Fax:  (02) 4271 7506