GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

EARLY

ONION - TROPEA
Calabria, Italy
Mar - Jun

Our Tropea are now coming straight from the Santacroce family on the Tyrrhenian coast. Grown from their own saved seed, each subvariety is naturally adapted to the particular time of year and growing conditions - as a result, you can expect bulb size and shape to vary through the coming weeks: from torpedo to round depending on the harvest. No matter what, we’ll be seeing bright green stalks, purple skins and bright white, sweet flesh with sugar levels unmatched by any other fresh onion.

Come June when the temperatures usually soar, Natale and his family will switch over dry onions. The entire plant is pulled from the sandy, clay soil and left with their stalks attached to dry in the field, drawing down nutrients into the bulb.

These unique onions are protected by their IGP: authentic Tropea can only be cultivated between the middle and upper Tyrrhenian coast. It’s here that sandy, saline soil and a moderate maritime climate work together to produce incredible quality. Natale takes these natural merits further, planting seeds in lower densities to give the roots room to grow and pull on the highest concentration of minerals from the soil.

LATE

PUNTARELLE
Lazio, Italy
Dec - Apr

With temperatures rising across the country, we’re coming to the end of Italian winter greens, with Baby Spinach, Minestra Nera and Cavolo Nero all set to wrap up by the end of the month, making way for spring greens: in particular Daniotti’s Tarassaco, Nettles and Bruscandoli.

In Lazio, Daniele is nearing the end of his Puntarelle season, meaning he’ll be finalising his selection of his best plants from which to save seed for next year. Committed to varietal and cultural integrity, he’ll be honing in on the characteristics prized in true Roman puntarelle: thick, elongated stalks surrounded by densely packed, thin tapering leaves.

The best Puntarelle comes from Lazio, the native growing region around Rome. Most intensive growers moved their production to Puglia in the south, where the plants grow more quickly in the mild climate, producing a high yield of short, hollow and bland punta. In Lazio, the cool climate means plants grow slowly and steadily, pulling on nutrients for survival and developing complexity.

Drawing on the region’s unique microclimate and mineral-rich soils, Daniele’s commitment to quality - in particular through his seed selection - produces exceptional Puntarelle. Growing outdoors from November to January, once temperatures drop he moves cultivation into unheated tunnels to protect crops from frost and cold damage.