Franchi Seeds for 2008
For those of you who revel in the delight and sweet joy of creating vegetables and flowers from seed
Five years ago I purchased my first Franchi seeds and these are now almost exclusively what we grow. The packaging alone is enough to fuel the fires of gardening passion for even the most jaded gardeners, glistening and glowing full color vegetables and flowers simply leap at winter weary gardener's hearts and mind.
But then the seeds - best germination par none, truest to variety, most vigorous, tastiest, productive and appropriate for our northern growing zone! Our favorites from the many more offered in our store.
Price: 2.85 per pkt. for very! generous packets.
Beans, pole:
Supermarconi - You know how chocolate tasted better as a kid? I thought 'Italian Beans' did too, but these beans are even better than I remembered. 'Slip' skinned, broad podded, tender, stringless and divine!
Anellino Giallo - An Italian heirloom. Prolific curved yellow podded beans and in our humble opinion, the most perfect bean essence and texture.
Beets:
Chioggia - These are not your standard beets but a vegetable apart. If you know somebody who claims to dislike beets, you'll win an easy bet on these. Handsome, smooth roots (with tasty - tender green tops) which when sliced reveal concentric circles of pale and deeper pink. The flavor is sweet and mild, nearly fruity.
Chard:
Bietola da Coste Bionda de Lione - The finest, tenderest and most delicious chard and the only chard we grow. Large pale green wavy leaves with wide and sweet, tender stems.
Verde da Taglio - what we call 'perpetual spinach' and also known as a leaf beet. A cut and come again spinach 'stand in' from early season through hard frosts and indispensable in our gardens.
Carrot:
Jaune du Doubs - An heirloom, absolutely beautiful, yellow carrot from France. New to us last season and won many devotees in its first season. Very productive, large, perfect roots with a tender - sweet and nearly addictive flavor!
Cucumber:
Bianco Primaticcio - A very tender, white skinned (easy to find - no clunkers) pickling cuke we are especially fond of.
Lettuce:
Misticanza - mesclun mix. 14 Italian varieties of lettuce for delightful all summer long salads. A productive selection which can be thinned and grown on for head lettuce.
Onion - scallion:
Cipollotto da Mazzi - Scallions are a staple in my cooking and these attained highest marks! A very special spring onion that when left to grow on, produces the very nicest big bunches of even better scallions!
Squash - summer:
Romanesco - Our favorite, delicious, nutty - flavored summer squash. Solid fruits, heavily ribbed and beautiful when sliced.
A dependable producer over a long season with large flowers of substance which are especially fine for cooking.
Squash - winter:
Padana - A squash from NW Italy that is so different and spectacular, it is hard to describe. Typical squashes are 8-9 lbs., round with wide raised burnt orange ribs and speckled dark green 'valleys' between the ribs. Sweet and most tasty, dry orange flesh.
Quintale seme Giallo - Kids will love this and so will their elders! An easy to grow, huge, smooth, bright orange pumpkin - looking squash. Star class looks, grows round and perfect and ... is sweet and delicious!
Tomato:
Cuor di Bue - oxheart type - Relatively early and our favorite of the Franchi tomatoes. Large, variable, heart shaped to roundish, beef - steakish tomatoes that self seed from year to year and are equally fine fresh or for sauce - taste as one would expect an Italian tomato to taste! Pinkish skin and deep reddish flesh. Writing this near the end of December,
I can't wait but will have to!!!
Herbs:
Argugula - Rucola Sel Ortolani - Simply the best of the cultivated arugulas that we have grown. Larger leaves, spicier taste, longer holding in the garden, etc.
Basil - Napoletano Bolloso - Huge, tender lettuce - like leaves with an intense aroma and flavor. One leaf will wrap a slice of tomato and mozzarella! Plants are productive and healthy.
Roses
Clematis
Flower seeds
Vegetable seeds
Gardening Merchandise
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