The hallmarks of Italian cooking–appealing flavors, fresh ingredients, and robust seasonings–have made it America’s favorite cuisine. No where is the connection between garden and plate more clearly drawn than in Italy. Italian cooks not only use a lot of daily pasta with light sauces, but also are clever in the use of beans, broccoli, eggplant, artichokes, radicchio, greens, and many other vegetables.
The vegetables I’ve selected are ethnic Italian varieties. Why not brag about that spaghetti sauce you’ve made? Be inventive when making pizza. Show off a platter of raw vegetables or grill some coarse Italian country bread, rub it with a clove of fresh garlic, brush with a fine olive oil, rub a fresh tomato over it, and sprinkle with Italian sea salt. I can only list one of each vegetable due to blog space, but to get a list of Italian varieties visit: www.postagestampvegetablegardening.com The Italian Inspired Kitchen Garden.
ARTICHOKE
Violetto de Chioggia 85 days. Nearly spineless purple artichoke. Italian heirloom. Picked small when they have no choke, typical of older heirloom artichokes. Source: ANN TERR
BEAN (pole)
Meraviglia Venezia (Miracle of Venice) A climbing yellow Roma. Flat beans grow up to 10″ long with no strings and great flavor. Source: SEE
BEAN (bush)
Marconi 55 days. Green Roma type grows on upright plant. Pick when small. Very crisp and tasty. Source: SEE
BEAN (shell)
Cannelli White Kidney 100 days. Classic Italian white shelling bean with large kidney-shaped seed. Upright plant. Source: SEE SHU
BEAN (fava)
Extra Precoce A Grano violetta Early Italian variety that produces long pods with 6 large purple beans. Source: BAK SEE
BEET
Chioggia (Barabietola de Chioggia, Candystripe) (OP) 54 days. Named for a fishing town near Venice. Italian heirloom. 2 ½” globe reveals rings of white alternating red. Very sweet beet. Tops are edible too. Source: ANN BAK BOU BURP COM GOU PAR SEE SEED SHU SOU TERR
Chioggia beet Photo courtesy Burpee
BROCCOLI
Calabrese (Italian Green Sprouting) (OP) 58 days. Italian heirloom. Produces 3-6″ central head, plus many side shoots. Source: ANN BAK COM GOU SEED SOU
Calabrese broccoli Photo courtesy Annie’s Heirloom Seeds
BROCCOLI RAAB (rapini)
Quarantina 28-55 days. A small plant, 8-10″ tall. Good flavor. Good for summer and fall. Source: GOU SEE
BRUSSELS SPROUTS
Mezzo Nano (OP) 110 days. Name means “half tall” or short. Small outer leaves, long 3′ stalk with many small compact, tender sprouts. Source: SEE TERR
Mezzo Nano Brussels Sprouts Photo courtesy Terrior Seeds
CABBAGE (pointed)
Cour di Bue Grosso 65-70 days. Conical head with tightly packed leaves. 3-4 pounds. Italian heirloom that is nice and sweet. Source: ANN BAK GOU SEE
CABBAGE (red)
Cabeza Negra 75-85 days. Deep red variety. Large head. The inner head has a rich red color and white veins. The outer leaves are almost black. Source: GOU SEE
CAULIFLOWER
Precoce de Jesi 65-75 days. Old Italian variety. Snowball shape, but has yellowish color. Originally from Venice. Source: ANN GOU SEE
CELERIAC
Del Veneto 95 days. 3-4″ across, fiberless, and tastes like celery. Source: SEE
CELERY
Dorato di Asti (Gigante Dorato, Giant Gildred) 98 days. Slightly golden to light green in color. Mild flavor and tender thin ribs. Source: GOU SEE
CHARD
Verde a Costa Bianca 55 days. Green and silver. Large head with huge leaves and thick white stem. Excellent taste. Source: SEE
CHICORY
Grumolo Bionda Light green grumolo type for fall growing. Initial growth is an elongated head with large, rounded leaves. After harvesting leave the root in the ground and in spring you will get the grumolo rosette. Source: SEE
CHICORY (radicchio)
Rouge De Verone (Verona Red) (OP) 80-85 days. Red-green colored radicchio. If cut back in spring it will produce clusters of small apple size heads. Source: BAK BOU BURP GOU SEE SOU
Rouge De Verone radicchio Photo courtesy Burpee
CHICORY (frisee) (endive-curled)
Riccia Pancalieri Large, bright-green frilly leaves with large ribs and golden heart. Source: SEE
CHICORY (escarole) (endive not curled)
Pan di Zucchero (Pan di Zucchero Selerzione Borca) Sugarloaf type with soft green outer leaves and crisp center. Known for its sweetness. Upright, light green with large, long and very tight head. Source: GOU SEE
CHICORY (cutting)
Asparagus (Puntarella, Puntarelle a Folia Stretta) 85 days. Italian heirloom. Resembles a dandelion on steroids. Hardy, excellent for greens. Very long slender leaves. Source: BAK SEE
CUCUMBER (slicing)
Tortarello Abruzzese 63-70 days. Italians love melon cucumbers, and this is one of those. Closely related to melons. Picked small, they taste like a cucumber, let it grow and it resembles a squash or melon, turn yellow and get sweeter. Light green with some ribbing. Source: GOU SEE
EGGPLANT
Bianca Sfumata di Rosa (Rotonda Bianca Sfumata Di Rosa, Romanesca) 75-120 days. Big, round eggplant. 3-4″ wide and 4-5″ long. White/pink color. Creamy, non-bitter flesh with few seeds. Source: ANN BAK GOU SEE
Bianca Sfumata di Rosa eggplant Photo courtesy Annie’s Heirloom Seeds
FENNEL
Romanesco 85 days. Classic fennel from Rome. Large head with thick, tightly wrapped stalks. Source: SEE
GARLIC
Early Italian Hardneck variety. Large cloves. Adapts to summer heat and keeps up to 8 months. Source: BURP
KALE
Cavolo Nero Lacinato 60 days. The most popular kale grown in Italy. Wrinkled dark green, almost black leaves with smooth edges. Excellent taste, improves after frost. Source: SEE
LEEK
Gigante d’Inverno 120 days. Large storage type leek. Big plant, blue-green tops with white bottoms with a bit of a bulb at the end. Cold resistant. Source: SEE
LETTUCE (blend)
Misticanza (Mesclun) All Lettuce 14 lettuce varieties for salads. Includes cutting lettuces, romaines, Four Seasons, Rossa di Trento and others. Source: SEE
MELON (cantaloupe)
Zatta (Brutto Ma Buono, Ugly But Tasty) 71 days. One ugly melon, but has intense, rich flavor. Italian heirloom. Source: GOU
MELON (honeydew)
Italian Honeydew 86 days. Rind turns from green to creamy white to yellow when ripe. Source: GOU
MELON (specialty melon)
Rugoso Di Cosenza “Amarillo Oro” type melon from Italy. Bright golden rind with ridges. White flesh. Source: BAK
ONION (slicing)
Borrettana (Cipollini) 105 days. “Cipollini” onion with classic button shape and translucent yellow color. Used as classic pickling onion. Long to intermediate day type. Italian heirloom. Source: ANN GOU SEE SEED TERR
Borrettana onion Photo courtesy Annie’s Heirloom Seeds
ONION (red)
Rossa Lunga di Firenze (Long Red Florence, Long of Florence) 100-120 days. Italian heirloom. Long bottle-shaped bulbs, attractive red color. Mild and sweet. Best used for fresh eating. Long day type. Source: BAK SEE SEED
Rossa Lunga di Firenze onions Photo courtesy Annie’s Heirloom Seeds
PEAS
Telefono 62-68 days. Climbing pea grows 5-6 feet. Large pods with 7-10 peas per pod. Grow on a trellis or fence. Source: SEE
PEPPER (sweet)
Corno De toro Rosso (Corno De Toro Red, Bull’s Horn) 75-90 days. Italian heirloom , 6-8″, 2-3″ diameter long and deep glowing red. Thin skin and thick walls. Ideal to stuff, fry or grill. Source: ANN BAK BOU GOU SEE SHU SOU
Corno De Toro Rosso sweet pepper Photo courtesy Southern Exposure Seed Exchange
PEPPER (hot)
Pepperoncini Golden (OP) 50 days. Also known as Tuscan peppers. Trim upright 30″ bushes are loaded with slender, slightly wrinkled green to red peppers. Pick when 2-4″ long. Source: ANN TERR
RADISH
Giant of Sicily Large 2″ round, summer radish. Sicilian heirloom. Bright red. Great taste. Source: ANN BAK GOU
SPINACH
Merlo Nero (Black Bird) Italian spinach with crinkly, bright green leaves on big plants. Source: BAK SEE
SQUASH (summer, zucchini)
Striata D’Italia (Italian Striped) 50-60 days. Medium-long Italian zucchini. 8-9″ long and somewhat thicker at the blossom end. Skin is striped in light and dark green and some ribbing. Does well in cool weather. Source: BAK GOU SEE
SQUASH (summer, misc.)
Rugosa Friulana (Wrinkled of Friuli) Common squash in northeastern Italy. Light yellow fruits are beyond wrinkled, they are warted. Ugly, but taste good and the flowers hold well. Full of flavor. Source: BAK SEE
SQUASH (winter)
Piacentina (Beret of Piacenza, Berrettina Piacentina) 100 days. Italian heirloom from Northern Italy. 3-5 pounds. Flattened round gray/green with tasty yellow/orange flesh. Exceptional storage capabilities. Source: GOU SEE
TOMATO (slicing)
Costoluto Genovese (Costoluto Genovese sel Valente) 75-80 days. 19th Century Italian heirloom. Determinate. Flattened and quite attractive with deep ribbing. 8-10 ounces. Standard for eating and preserving. Source: BAK BOU GOU PAR SEE TERR TOT
Costoluto Genovese tomato Photo courtesy Totally Tomatoes
TOMATO (paste/plum)
Red Pear 70-75 days. An old northern Italian variety. This is a beefsteak tomato with vertical ribs. 8-18 ounce tomato that is meaty with few seeds. Excellent flavor. Indeterminate plants produce heavy yields over a long period. Source: SEE
TURNIP
Milan (Rapa di Milano Colletto Viola, De Milan Rouge, Viola di Milano, Violet Top from Milan) 35-60 days. Buttery flavored baby turnip. Sweet and tender. Bright red shoulders. Long storage. Greens are sweet and mild. Source: ANN GOU SEE
Don’t forget to plant Italian herbs to go along with your vegetable garden. Basil, parsley, anise, chives, dill, marjoram, oregano, rosemary and tarragon are all good choices.
Seed Sources
ANN Annie’s Heirloom Seeds AnniesHeirloomSeeds.com
BAK Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds rareseeds.com
BOU Bountiful Gardens bountifulgardens.org
BURP Burpee burpee.com
COM Comstock Seeds comstockferre.com
GOU Gourmet Seed International gourmetseed.com
PAR Park Seed parkseed.com
SEE Seeds from Italy growitalian.com
SEED Seed Savers Exchange seedsavers.org
SHU R.H. Shumway’s rhshumway.com
SOU Southern Exposure Seed Exchange Gardens@SouthernExposure.com
TERR Terroir Seeds underwoodgardens.com
TOT Totally Tomatoes totallytomatoes.com
For a more complete list of Italian seed varieties visit: www.postagestampvegetablegardening.com
© Copyright 2013 by Karen Newcomb
