A friend of ours related an amusing thing that I have to think would only happen here. First you must know it was her birthday. Second, know that here in Italy it is normal to be pulled over randomly by the Carabinieri for road checks. They want to see ID and registration. They check your tag on their computers for insurance, and whether the car tax was paid etc. and if everything is ok, they say “arrivederci”.
Our friend said, after she dropped off her husband at the train station, she was driving home and got pulled over by the Carabinieri, Italy’s military police. In her words they were “equipped with bullet proof vests, automatic weapons and those gorgeous uniforms. Serious as hell, but after checking my id’s and registration, came back to the car, and proceeded to sing happy birthday to me! Okay, that was a first!” Tell me folks, would this happen in your country? 😁
It is definitely primavera!. A perfect string of days. Sunny and in the 70s. What more can we ask? It made me want to plant my vegetables, herbs and flowers for this year. Here is one of my ferns. They aren’t called fiddleheads for nothing!
Last week we went to our local plant store — and well, just about everything else. But I had no luck finding what I wanted. I did buy bags of dirt so I wouldn’t go home empty-handed. Yesterday I decided to drive up to Città di Castello, about 20 minutes north. There is a viviao there called Mariottini. They have good quality plants and they usually have what I’m looking for. Yesterday it was especially tomatoes and Jalapeños. Also herbs and a few flowers.
Bingo, I found three pomodori and a pepper plant. The jalapeño was one of only three left. They had tons of habaneros and Carolina reapers and the like, but I wanted jalapeños this year. It is fun that they have these since, as a rule, Italians aren’t into hot food. I also got sage, rosemary, basil, mint and 3 daisy type flowers in different colors. The tomatoes I chose were a Buffalosteak, Fantasio and Honey Moon. No idea except from the pictures what they will be like. I knew I didn’t want Romas and I didn’t want cherry tomatoes.
This is Orto 2026. This bed has the basil, pepper and tomatoes. Check out the cool tomato cages I bought. I hope they will support the soon to be heavy vines.
I also, on a whim I decided to stick a few potatoes that I had that had sprouted into some unused planters. I’ve grown potatoes once before and it is fun to dig up your own new potatoes. Well, they started growing happily so we shall await the results. here are three.
I had ordered a new pump for the piccolo pond. This time I got what I wanted. I didn’t want a fountain, I wanted to create a little waterfall, which I did. I made a video, but for some reason it doesn’t work. ~~~~~~~ For a treat for Luther I got a whole duck. He, for some reason, loves them. I cooked it a couple days ago. Sorry, I had to show you how they are sold here. A bit strange, but the good news is, I could use the extra “bits” to make a rich stock, which I did today, plus the carcass.
Tonight we had Left Over Roasted Duck Soup. I made the broth over six hours. Then I added cabbage and after it cooked I added ramen noodles. I rewarmed the duck and added it along with more slivered cabbage for crunch and some spring onions. It was pretty good for a left over type dinner.
I leave you with a pretty sunset we enjoyed tonight.
A couple of months ago I saw an ad in Facebook. I NEVER respond to ads there, but this one was different, it specified only people in the Alta Valle del Tevere should respond. That is me! And it was by a local farmer and entrepreneur who was starting something similar in our valley to a CSA (community supported agriculture).
In the U.S.. I used to be a member of a CSA, and it was a lot of fun to pick up my veggies once a week. The good thing for the farmers in the U.S. is that all the shareholders pay an annual fee for whatever produce grows that year. So if the farmer has a bad year, the shareholders take the hit. It is guaranteed income for the farmer.
Here they will deliver to my home (!) which is much easier, and it will be about 7kg of veggies every two weeks starting in June. That’s about 15.5 lbs. The cost will be 23€ (about $27) each delivery. We can’t choose what we get. That’s always been ok with me because I love figuring out how to use it all.
He has a network of farmers who will be growing specified crops just for those of us who subscribed. The list of subscribers filled up fast and he closed the subscriptions. He is very eco friendly, it is all bio, and he wants it to have minimal waste. He contacted me today and wanted a final confirmation, which I did. He will now be meeting with farmers to decide who grows what because the season is just beginning.
I’m excited for a new thing in my life here. You all know I love to cook and experiment, and I love locally grown food that is chemical free and super fresh. I will be posting pictures in June of my first delivery, but for now, here is a picture of a typical CSA box in the U.S.
This is Easter weekend. As I’ve always said, I’m not religious but enjoy the season. We are going to Calagrana for Easter lunch. That will be a treat. The weather has made a welcome turn for the better so it will be sunny and warm for the holiday.
