How to grow broccoli Fiolaro di Creazzo

A traditional Italian type of broccoli sown in summer and harvested in autumn and winter. Broccoli Fiolaro di Creazzo has been cultivated for many centuries and is on the Slow Food Ark of Taste list which is a living catalogue of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction.

Seed Sowing

Sow in modules or directly from mid-June to early September. If sowing directly, ensure your seedbed is weed-free.

Transplanting

Transplant or thin seedlings in situ to 40×40 cm spacing.

Plant Care

Fiolaro prefers well-drained soil with high organic matter and consistent watering. You can mulch around the plants to keep in moisture and prevent weeds.

Challenges

Protect them from slugs and snails, and use a fine mesh to protect from pigeons and flea beetles. Copper collars can be effective against cabbage root fly. Clubroot is a disease affecting brassicas, causing root deformities and stunted growth. If your soils have clubroot-causing organisms, improve drainage and add lime to reduce infection. Otherwise, consider growing in pots.

Harvest

Wait until after the first frosts before harvesting to encourage the growth of the shoots and sweeten their flavor. Fiolaro does not grow a large central head but produces side shoots – “fiois” – from its stem, which are harvested and cooked with the leaves.

Culinary Ideas and Uses

Fiolaro Di Creazzo is a landrace variety that has been cultivated, saved, and passed from farmer to farmer in Creazzo, Northern Italy, and dates back to ancient Roman times. The leaves are particularly sweet and rich in vitamins, mineral salts, and calcium. They work brilliantly in a frittata or as a pesto with walnuts or pine nuts. Fiolaro can also be served as a side dish, cooked like most seasonal greens: wilted and tossed with olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and chili.

Seed Saving

Fiolaro Di Creazzo belongs to the species Brassica oleracea and will cross with all other varieties within this species, so isolate them from each other.

Sow early to ensure plants set seed in the first year of growth. It’s best to grow them in a block of at least twelve plants. Choose specimens that are true-to-type, healthy, and show traits you’d like to see in future crops. Allow plants to flower and be pollinated by insects. When the thin green seed pods turn brown and the seeds black, cut the stem and leave them to mature further on a sheet indoors. When fully dry, the pods will easily open, and the seeds will fall out. You can stomp or stand on the material, then sieve or winnow to remove the chaff.

Store in a cool, dark place; seeds should remain viable for around 3 years.

Most popular Broccoli Seeds

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    A traditional Italian type of broccoli sown in summer and harvested in autumn and winter. Broccoli Fiolaro di Creazzo has been cultivated for many centuries in Italy and is on the Slow Food Ark of Taste list which is a living catalogue of delicious and distinctive foods facing extinction.

    It is sown in July through to early September and harvested November to March.

    It does not grow a large central head, but produces side shoots – “fiois” – from its stem which are harvested and cooked with the leaves – not too dissimilar to Kalettes.

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