New & News

The new mid year catalogue is now available to download off the website. It features all the new seeds for this season and pricing is valid until October 1st 2010.

If you have never tried  Peperone Padron- you should! These peppers grow well in New Zealand given favourable conditions.  Last summer we even managed to grow them in average soil at our bach in North Taranaki.  They come from the small seaside town of Galicia in Spain. People wait anxiously for the new seasons peppers  to arrive and then converge to the local  tapas bars to enjoy them the  way they should be.... lightly browned in olive oil sprinkled with sea salt and served!What makes these peppers so unique is that while some are mild some are really hot but with outstanding depth of flavour.

 A brilliant article on Pesto which covers the classification of Genovese basil is in the April/May issue of Dish magazine . A great Italian issue.

Thank you for the great feedback on the seeds. Many of you have taken the time to send emails and pics of your produce, and not surprisingly it has been the higher- than- stated germination rate that has been most mentioned. 2009 was Franchi's first real growing season in New Zealand and we are confident that more and more of you will experience just how good a quality seed can be.

Two planting reminder services for your zone in New Zealand

http://www.gardenate.com (monthly)

getgrowing@nzgardener.co.nz (weekly- with some humour included)

Some people have asked will they grow here in NZ? The answer is yes! These vegetable varieties are more multi-faceted to imagine they would only grow well in Italy. Italy's vegetables are about regionality; just think about the different zucchini on offer from Venice,Genoa,Rome, Milan and Piacenza.

The most telling interpreter of agricultural difference is the plant itself,integrating as it does the effects of climate, soil and geology into a composition of authentic flavour. Just imagine if Sauvignon Blanc had never left the Loire Valley!