A staggering 94 per cent of the world\u2019s heritage varieties have been lost over the past century. <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
Soon he had persuaded other delis and farm shops to take the seed too, and the business took off. Franchi is the oldest family run seed company in the world, established in 1783, and their principles chime with Paolo\u2019s. \u201cFranchi aren\u2019t just suppliers, they are seed producers: they celebrate heritage, taste and regionality, and commission the seed to be grown just for them. Do you know, a staggering 94 per cent of the world\u2019s heritage varieties have been lost over the past century? It matters! We need variety. Seed banks are great as insurance policies but really, the only way to preserve all these wonderful old varieties is to keep growing them.\u201d<\/p>\n
To bang this drum, Paolo created a Slow Food \u2018Ark of Taste\u2019 garden at the 2019 RHS Hampton Court Palace Garden Festival, which won him not only a seventh RHS medal but also the title of Slow Food in the UK\u2019s Person of the Year \u2013 a career highlight. \u201cSlow Food is a huge worldwide food movement, founded in Italy [in 1989], that celebrates regional foods and highlights varieties at risk of being lost. Rather than rhinos and pandas two by two, we had endangered vegetables going on to the ark.\u201d<\/p>\n

My philosophy is, if you pull something up, why not put something in? <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
There are stories behind many of the 500-plus varieties that Paolo sells in the UK, and he\u2019s keen to tell them. \u201cFar from corporate varieties, these are seeds with soul. \u2018Viroflay\u2019 spinach dates back to the 16th century and will give you four harvests a year. It\u2019s wonderful but it would never be sold in food shops because you need to eat it as soon as you pick it. Our Neapolitan \u2018San Marzano 2\u2019 seeds originated on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius and they will produce tomatoes that are far superior to any you can buy.\u201d His family comes from Piedmont in northern Italy, so\nhe understands food crops for colder climates. \u201cWe\u2019re great at spring sowing in Britain but the worst at sowing seasonally. Apart from December<\/a> and January<\/a>, you can grow vegetables here all year round. My philosophy is, if you pull something up, why not put something in?\u201d<\/p>\n
Brexit has been a thorn in Paolo\u2019s side and he still rails against it, citing the increased bureaucracy and continuing uncertainty as massive challenges that have forced him to reduce his available range. In 2019 he launched a Brexit survival kit of 12 vegetable varieties, offering something to sow or harvest every month of the year. \u201cIt\u00a0 started as a bit of a joke but actually, it was very well thought out.\u201d This year he has responded to 2022\u2019s low rainfall by highlighting both drought-resistant<\/a> vegetable varieties and native British wildflowers<\/a>. \u201cWe try to be very hands on and we love people to call us. Seeds are such a precious commodity and I want people to understand that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seeds are such a precious commodity and I want people to understand that. <\/blockquote> <\/div> <\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>
Helping customers to grow more and grow better is Paolo\u2019s quest. Food has always been at the centre of his family life and the how-to book he wrote, From Seed To Plate<\/em> (Simon & Schuster, 2010), honours that tradition. He and his wife Alex, also of Italian heritage, are bringing up their children in the same way: son Vincenzo, 18, and daughter Amelia, 14, have learned to forage fungi, just as Paolo did with his own father. He recounts how, as a teenager, he once played truant and went off into the woods for the day. Coming across two perfect porcini mushrooms presented him with a dilemma, but knowing they were too good to waste, he took them home. \u201cI got a hiding for missing school, but we did have a wonderful porcini risotto that night and secretly, I think my dad was rather proud of me!\u201d<\/p>\n
USEFUL INFORMATION<\/strong>\nFind out more about Seeds of Italy at seedsofitaly.com<\/a><\/p> <\/body><\/html>\n
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