Italian food is regional because the varieties are regional. This is typified by courgettes. We have varieties from Italy (National), Genova, Florence, Rome, Milan, Sarzana, Bologna, Piacenza, Nice, Naples, Albenga, Friuli and Sicily. There are others too, that we just can't carry them all !! Talk about provenance !!
In Italy, the flowers are always eaten as well as the zucchino. Just remove any flowers not attached to a courgette in the morning when they are open, remove the stamen and crown and wash carefully. They can then be battered and fried, stuffed or used in 'frittata'.
Peel and boil the squash until soft. Then simply mash it with some butter and freshly grated nutmeg. Please note that the butternut liscia we sell has a smoth skin and this variety is slightly scalloped. @25. Sow from Feb - Jun.
Plump, oval fruits from Bologna. Make nice round slices for frying. Light green with a good flavour. @45 seeds Bush. Sow Mar-Jul and harvest mid Jun-end Oct.
A hybrid yellow variety which is vigorous plant. Thick skinned and a great variety for using raw in salads. @18. Sow Mar-Aug. Featured by Carol Klein on the BBC series 'Grow your own veg' 09/02/07.
'Black of Milan'. This variety has a very dark green skin, making it look almost black. Regionally found in the Lombardia area of Italy. Productive plant with open plant habit making it easy to harvest. @45. Bush. Sow mid Mar-Mid Aug.
Small/mid sized lightly rigded zucchino from Rome, of good quality and flavour. Nutty flavour, restaurant quality courgette. Highly recommended. Bush variety. @45. Sow from Feb-Jun.
Used on BBC Gardeners World TV 15/9/06 and on 'Jamie at Home' Aug 08. This very ugly but traditional Venetian courgette variety has one of the best flavours and lends itself we to dishes that take longer to cook as it's slightly firmer. A must grow variet
The classic striped Italian Zucchini. A productive, bushy plant with medium sized fruits, producing upto 5kg of fruit per plant. @54. Sow mid Mar-Aug. Featured by Carol Klein on 'Grow your own veg' BBC2 09/02/07
