Winter vegetables in Tuscany for a garden that's always active

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We reveal the secrets of Tuscany's typical winter vegetables. Prepare tasty and hearty dishes with leafy greens, legumes, and much more.

What are the typical winter vegetables in Tuscany?

In this a journey through flavours and traditional cuisine, let's find out together what the typical winter vegetables in Tuscany. If you don't give up on keep the garden dormant during the winter, you are doing very well, because the garden can produce even during the cold months. The winter vegetables are in fact an essential part of the culinary panorama in Tuscany, providing a flavorful and hearty addition to many dishes during less clement times. From leafy and root vegetables, to the legumes Like beans and peas, these crops represent an important source of nutrition and flavor for our region.

So let's see what the typical winter vegetables in Tuscany.

Savoy cabbage

Among the winter vegetables in Tuscany, the cabbage, better known simply as cabbage, is certainly one of the protagonists of the vegetable garden in winter, so much so that some claim that its flavour improves after a frost. The rexistence in the cold of this plant is possible by virtue of the blistering of its leaves.

However, it is important to make a clarification regarding cabbage for gardening novices: the seedlings However, they must be transplanted into the garden within the end of summer, grow throughout thefall and arrive in winter at the time of the collection. In winter, therefore, you don't need to do anything for the cabbages, just collect them as you intend to cook them.

Black cabbage

Like cabbage, the Tuscan black cabbage, one of the most typical winter vegetables of the region, presents blistered leaves which make it resistant to cold. Harvesting can continue until spring, as long as it doesn't come never topped the apex: you must always remove the basal leaves to allow the vegetative heart to continue producing.

If we realize that the black cabbage it's to our taste, we plan to put more of it seedlings during the next summer, to arrive at the winter with a greater quantity of product.

For further information: Black cabbage, the star of Tuscan autumn cuisine

Curly cabbage

The curly kale, or Kale, is a cabbage that was rarely grown in Italy until a few years ago, but recently took on a progressive importance in vegetable gardens and professional horticultural crops. For the management and collection you can refer to what is valid for black cabbage, because this too is a type of cabbage that does not form a head but a plume of leaves emitted from a stem that grows in height for months.

Cauliflower

Even the cauliflower It is one of the main winter vegetables in Tuscany. It is a plant that interests us for itsinflorescence, that is, the white or colored part. This, unfortunately, is sensitive to cold, and then with the frosts we risk losing it because it fills with black spots. It must be collected before sensitive temperature drops to 0°C. Plants that have not yet formed their heads, as in the case of late cultivars, they can also resist up to -5°C. So, in the case of cauliflower, a lot depends on the stage it is in when the frost arrives, and also on thehumidity which makes the cold much more unbearable even for plants

Few plants can also be covered with non-woven fabric sheets that wraps them individually, but this indication is impractical for larger crops. In this case it is possible to obtain some very large sheets to spread over the entire flowerbed to cover all the plants together. The width is necessary because the plants are taller than salads, of course, and this makes their coverage much more complex.

Brussels sprouts

The collection of Brussels sprouts It arrives in the middle of winter, and the plants are quite cold-resistantYou don't need to do anything special, just wait for these typical winter vegetables to be ready.

Endives and chicory

The endives, curly and escarole, are typical autumn-winter salads, as well as the chicory, also called radicchioThese are quite large plants. cold-resistant, as long as it is not too long, because frosts cause the plant to harden and drying of the leaves. Thecurly endive It is more sensitive to cold than escarole, and therefore it is important collect it in time. In the case of mild cold, however, it is sufficient to cover the entire flowerbed with non-woven fabric sheets, to be fixed well with wooden planks or stones.

Turnip

The turnip is a typical winter vegetable of which they eat the fleshy root and also the foliage. The latter is irremediably damaged by frost, therefore it is recommended to harvest most of the leaves before significant drops in temperature.

Garlic

Having been sown in autumn, garlic in winter appears as a very small and tender shoot. It resists well to temperatures down to -10°C, or even -15°C, as long as they are not accompanied by high humidity. Winters very rainy and humid may lead to some rot, and in that case, if the crop were to be entirely destroyed, it might be necessary replant garlic in late winter, which is technically possible. Many people specifically choose to sow garlic in late winter, especially if it is thewhite garlic, while for thepink garlic Autumn planting is more common.

In that case, the new sowing must be made after having regenerated the earth with a product based on Trichoderma, an antagonistic fungus that hinders the development of pathogenic fungi. Excellent for this purpose is Tricoder, a product with a specific action that contains a high concentration of Trichoderma, and which thanks to this manages to influence the microbial composition of the soil. Furthermore, having to fertilize the soil before the start of the new season, it will be useful choose organic soil, which in addition to providing organic matter and nutrients, will also promote the development of precious mycorrhizae. Those who have not sown garlic in autumn can do so towards the end of February or in the first half of March.

Onion

The onions in winter they are found, as in the case of garlic, at the stage of small seedlingsWe are referring above all to the red and white varieties, which are harvested at the end of spring, such as fresh spring onions or, later, as preserving onions. Even for these the same applies risk of rot in case of excessive soil humidity, and you can refer to what is recommended above for garlic.

TO end of winter, or early spring, it is useful to integrate the fertilization administered at sowing with a product of natural origin, such as Bioactive, or Organic fruit and vegetables, since it is a long-cycle crop, and an addition of nutrients allows for optimal development.

Leek

Even the leek, one of the most typical winter vegetables, is a cold-resistant plant, and in this season it can be found in different stages of development, depending on the time of transplanting. It's best to give small leeks time to grow, without worrying too much about frost.

For further information: The Certaldo Onion and the Francesina Recipe

Books to read about gardening and what to grow according to the seasons.

My Garden: A Guide to Growing Vegetables, Fruit, and Herbs, by Richard Gianfrancesco, Ed. Il Castello;
Unusual vegetables by Sara Petrucci and Matteo Cereda, Terra Nuova Edizioni;
Garden Preserves. How to transform vegetables into oil, vinegar, pickles, and much more., by Rita Bacchella, Ed. L'informatore Agrario;
Plant vegetable gardens on your balconies. The complete guide to growing vegetables in pots., by Matteo Cereda and Federico Bonfiglio, Ed. Rizzoli;
Organic vegetable garden and orchard. A complete guide to growing healthy and tasty fruits and vegetables., Ed. De Vecchi;
The Children's Garden 2. Technical data sheets for growing vegetables and aromatic plants, by Morena Paola Carli, Ed. Forme Libere;
Balcony Gardening: A Guide to Growing Vegetables in Urban Spaces, Ed. Ecolibri;
From the garden to the table. How to grow fruit and vegetables month by month., by Jo Whittingham, Ed. De Agostini;
Easy gardening for everyone. Techniques, plants, and a schedule., Ed. Demetra;
More of a vegetable garden than a garden. How to grow happy vegetables and gentle flowers., by Simonetta Chiarugi and Camilla Zanarotti, Ed. Mondadori Electa.

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Cauliflower photo of Karolina Kołodziejczak on Unsplash | Radicchio photo by Richard Greg on Unsplash | Garlic photo of Nick Fewings on Unsplash | Photo of onions Dmytro Glazunov on Unsplash | Cover photo Markus Spiske on Unsplash | Photo of Brussels sprouts Keenan Loo on Unsplash

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