Gusto Italiano Project

ActiveVista is excited to introduce to Australian growers to the ‘Gusto Italiano Project,’ a new collaboration between US based Culinary Breeding Network, Uprising Seeds and northern Italian vegetable breeders at Smarties.bio. The project was born from a mutual love of radicchio & a desire to further establish it as an anchor of the autumn and winter produce season in North America, and specifically the Pacific Northwest.

ActiveVista is now offering this commercially viable, special line of organically grown chicory & regional specialty brassica seed, bred and grown in Italy by the incredible folks at Smarties.bio. Based in Chioggia, the heart of radicchio’s motherland, Smarties.bio exists at the crossroads of tradition and innovation by bringing years of modern breeding experience to classic, culturally significant vegetables of their region. This is the first complete line of radicchio type chicory seed in Australia with commercial viability in mind.

The project includes multiple harvest slot varieties of the following chicory to allow succesion harvesting;

• Rossa di Chioggia
• Rossa di Verona
• Rossa di Treviso Precoce and Tardivo
• Variegata di Castelfranco
• Puntarelle di Galantina
• Variegata di Lusia
• Bianca di Chioggia
• Catalogna Gigante di Chioggia
• Rosa del Veneto

In addition, Smarties.bio has initiated their “Biodiversity project” that works to preserve locally and historically significant varieties with deep roots in small northern Italian farming communities. ActiveVista is offering their leaf-broccoli, Broccolo Fiolaro di Creazzo known as ‘Filius’; a winter cabbage, Moretta di Veronella known as ‘Sanzeno’; and two cauliflowers, Broccolo di Bassano ‘Bonorivo’  an early variety for late autumn harvest, and Broccolo di Bassano ‘Marzolino’  a late variety for overwinter harvest.

The US, Culinary Breeding Network will be sharing lots of content to give culinary and cultural context to these seeds: providing detailed growing information, offering recipes and cooking videos & working to create shared community through these foods we love. Make sure you’re following all three collaborators on Instagram!

It has been a goal of the Culinary Breeding Network to create new relationships with Italian growers & breeders, from their Radicchio Expedition and now to their #GustoItalianoProject.

Uprising Seeds have been extremely generous in sharing images and allowing the us to use written extracts from Uprising Seed’s resident radicchiophile and author, Brian. We encourage you to visit Brian’s skillfully penned “Radicchiology” on their beautiful website.

Artwork by @ioenina