GO BEYOND FOUR SEASONS

PEAK SEASON BOX

Our Sourcing Team have selected the 9-10 varieties tasting their best right now. From familiar favourites to lesser known ones, these are our picks this week.

Green English Asparagus - Norfolk & Kent, UK
Alphonso Mango - Maharashtra, India
Datterini Tomato – Modica, Sicily
Romana Courgette - Lazio, Italy
Fresh Peas - Campania, Italy
Cucumber Carosello - Puglia, Italy
Wild Garlic Leaves - UK
Green Piattone Beans - Lazio, Italy
Wet Garlic - Toulouse, France
Friggitelli Pepper - Lazio, Italy

SAVOURING THE SEASON:
Zucchiolo, Binu, Delistra & Maru

We have a soft spot for growers who preserve tradition, whether they are saving seeds, sticking to age-old methods or forgoing chemical intervention. Often, this preservation can even lead to innovation, with growers striving to bring tradition into our modern age.

We’re now trialling Zucchiolo, Binu, Delistra and Maru through an ongoing project with seed breeder Francisco, in partnership with the University of Almería.

The university seed breeding programme is working with growers who are crossbreeding variants of the same vegetables, using cross-pollination, to produce entirely new varieties of courgette, aubergine, broadbean and beyond. The seeds they are crossing are from their seed bank, meaning they are often crossing modern varieties with their ancient, wild ancestors.

They are doing this in order to breed vegetables that foster better gut health, with the larger aim of fighting colon cancer through diet. In doing so, they have produced some really novel varieties with fantastic flavour and versatility.

Zucchiolo are small round summer squashes with dense flesh and a striking yellow and green striped skin. Binu Courgette Flowers are bred to cling tightly to the top of their courgette, which is picked extremely young, keeping them fresher for longer.  Delistra Aubergines are mini and striped. The seeds inside are more intact than in conventional aubergines, this does not impact the flavour but enhances their positive impact on the gut. Maru Beans are long and deep purple - turning an even brighter purple when cooked, thanks to the elevated levels of anthocyanins they are bred for.

We are thrilled to bring you truly new vegetables, for such a noble cause. This trial will be going on until July and we look forward to seeing and tasting the innovation it inspires in your kitchen.