Translate

Search Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven Blog

Browse Cookery Articles

Browse Culture Articles

Browse Community Articles

Click here to subscribe for free email updates, thank you.

Click here to subscribe for free email updates, thank you.

How to Grow and Eat Italian



How to Grow and Eat Italian





I found these seeds online for my aunt's birthday.  She is a good gardener and I was looking for something my aunt would not have.  Seeds from Italy, in the U.S., is the only distributor for Franchi Seeds.  The product line includes vegetables, organic seeds, flowers, fruits, garlic, herbs, mushrooms, plants for pets, and bulk seeds for farming.  Living in the Mediterranean climates of California and Italy is best for growing your own food.  These seeds may also be grown in other zones, although a little extra preparation and care may be needed.  If you enjoy Italian food, then growing your own Italian crop will give you those excellent meal ingredients.  Dan, the owner, signed my order form "Thanks for your order.  I hope these seeds do well for you.  Ciao! Dan Nagengast".






"Seeds from Italy was started in 2001 by Bill McKay, a dedicated gardener and cook, because he couldn't find the Italian vegetable varieties he wanted to grow.
marthaandbill-tn.jpgBy luck, he happened upon Franchi Sementi, Italy's oldest family-owned seed company, which offers an extensive selection of traditional Italian varieties. Franchi didn't have an agent in the U.S., so Bill started importing the seeds and reselling them.  For the next decade, Seeds from Italy grew rapidly under Bill's enthusiastic ownership.  You can watch Bill on the Martha Stewart Show talking about his favorite Italian vegetables.

In 2011, Bill decided he was ready to retire.  He sold the business to Dan Nagengast, a long-time market gardener in Lawrence, Kansas. In addition to growing vegetables and flowers for local markets, Dan was director of the Kansas Rural Center, a nonprofit that advocates for 

sustainable agriculture and family farms.  The Lawrence Journal World wrote about Dan taking over the business and posted a video interview that you can watch here.
Dan is married to Lynn Byczynski, the founder and publisher of Growing for Market, a national periodical for market farmers, and the author of several farming and gardening books, including The Flower Farmer: An Organic Grower's Guide to Raising and Selling Cut Flowers.  The couple's young adult children also work in the business; Will, who finished college in 2011, is handling the company's social media program, and Laurel, who started college in 2011, helps with graphics and the website. 

dscn0787-2.jpg
Will, Laurel, Lynn and Dan, under the Tuscan sun.

Dan and Lynn are growing Franchi Seeds on their small farm, Wild Onion Farm, with help from Dan Phelps and Cole Cottin, a young couple who are growing vegetables for farmers markets, restaurants, and a CSA.  We will keep you posted on the results of these trials with the Review feature on this website.  We hope you'll use Reviews to contribute your experiences with Franchi vegetables, too."



The planning of a garden must be done with careful thought and understanding of the hardiness zone.  Zone maps are tools that show where various permanent landscape plants can adapt.  Click here to discover more about your planting zone.





Join the Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven circle:
sign-up for email updates.



No comments:

Post a Comment

Join Me: Subscribe for Email Updates

Join Me: Subscribe for Email Updates Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven. All rights reserved. Jesse Bluma at Point Viven libera...

About

taste in cookery, culture, and
community, provides gourmet goods
made with organic ingredients, inspired
by the culinary worlds of California,
Central, and South America, and
engages in a community of customers
and readers with lifestyle content,
reviews, and expertise. © Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven

Shop Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven

Panasonic
button

Search

MyFreeCopyright.com Registered & Protectedwhat can i copyright

Print

Amazon Associate Disclaimer

Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Shop Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven

© Jesse Bluma at Pointe Viven

Jesse Bluma at PointeViven

My photo
Jesse Bluma at Point Viven liberates taste in cookery, culture, and community, provides gourmet goods made with organic ingredients, inspired by the culinary worlds of California, Central, and South America, and engages in a community of customers and readers with lifestyle content, reviews, and expertise. Use and redistribution of original content allowed only with explicit permission of site owner and author.