Photo by Rick Gush Loquats are often sweeter when picked fresh from a feral tree. One day when I was 12, I discovered a fruiting loquat tree on my walk home from school. I ate a lot of loquats that year, and I’ve since enjoyed hunting for free loquats. Loquat, Eriobotyra japonica, is certainly one […]
Photo by Rick Gush It’s time for squash flowers again! Squash flowers have already started appearing in vegetable markets here in Italy, which means it’s just about squash flower season in our garden. A few of the squash flower suppliers are northern growers who grow very early squash in greenhouses, but most are growers from […]
Photo by Rick Gush Romano green beans are my favorite beans! I had never grown Romano green beans before I came to Italy, and the only ones I had eaten were, I realize now, horribly overcooked. Romano beans have a bit of mucilage like okra, but only a small amount. Unfortunately, overcooking is how to […]
The sweet nectar from elderberry plants is used in a popular liqueur in Italy.
You’ll be surprised with the taste of this palatte-pleasing crop.
Photo by Rick Gush White asparagus is mostly grown in Germany, but I can find it here in Italy just fine. One of the things I love about the Internet is that it is full of lies, but it is also a great place to do research. So good, that I’ve gotten rid of all […]
