Once again, I'm hunting for another rare and wonderful. I've been reading about a yellow Italian cooking bean from Tuscany called 'Zolfino'. Does anyone know where to find it, even if it's bagged for cooking?
Looking for Zolfino
Here is a link to an article depicting a farm on the west coast that grows them. It gives a phone # at the end of the article. Perhaps you could give them a call and see if they'll ship you some. The article is a year old, so I hope the number is still valid.
http://www.loghouseplants.com/Oregonian_magic_beans.htm
Thank you! I found that site a couple days ago, but didn't see the contact info... it was hiding on their "About Us" page. It even gives email addresses, so I'll try that route first.
Any luck?
If not, you may be able to find something similar here, http://www.seedsofitaly.com/
I ordered some seeds from them this year -- the packets are more than generous!
I emailed one of the Italian seed sites and they WERE going to carry it, but the guy who was going to get them a source never came through. The lady at Loghouse Plants put me in touch with some growers in Oregon who were just about out of them except for some unshelled pods, so they'll be sending me a few.
That sounds like a fantastic bean. I like to try at least one or two new items each year. Do youthink they would have enough pods for a couple of gardens? Would you recommend I contact the lady at Loghouse, or try to contact the grower some other way?
Not really. The lady at Log House doesn't have them and the grower sent me the last bit that they weren't going to save for seed. I'm not sure how many they'll send, but if there's more than what I need for increase, I can send some on. If not, I'll be able to get them to you in the fall.
Agrinerd,
Thanks
dgwm
Keep in touch! D-mail me so I'll have a record of your request. My brain ain't so young anymore.
Agrinerd, you could try contacting the Zolfino presidium to see if they can direct you to a seed supplier:
http://editore.slowfood.com/editore/riviste/slowark/EN/38/zolfino.html
Have considered the Coco Bianco, a cousin of the Zolfino:
http://www.collinedifirenze.it/tu/e/gastro/p15.htm
Seeds for Coco Bianco are available from Gourmet Seed International:
http://www.gourmetseed.com/bush_shelling_bean_seed.0.html
scroll down under Bean Bush Shelling.
Coco Bianco does sound good. I'll order a few to grow along side the Zolfinos. I'm glad about the mention of Zolfinos "capricious" nature at the link you sent... I won't feel so bad if they bomb out this year and I'll hold back some seeds in case there's a crop failure.
Perhaps you could play some Italian music while you are out in the garden so the Zolfinos feel more at home.
Where did you find the actual Zolfino seeds?
They're from Anthony and Carol Boutard of Ayers Creek Farm in Oregon. They experiment with all kinds of neat and obscure stuff like skirret and chervil root (at least those are the ones I know about and those are really obscure). When I offered to repay them somehow, they responded with "Pass them onto someone else when you have enough. I have what I have and know due to the generosity of others." If only we all realized that!
In all aspects of life, to be sure!
Skirret is not as obscure as most folks think. It never died out in Europe and quite a few people are growing it in their gardens. Just haven't seen it available at a market.
I remember a thread form a while back that led me to finding some seeds. Have you ever grown it?
What is skirret please?
Nevermind, I checked out some previous posts and plant files.
I found anothe site mentioning Zolfinos. Those little guys are expensive; no wonder the Tuscans say they get them at the jeweller! I hope they don't prove as difficult to grow as I've heard. http://divinacucina.blogspot.com/2007/02/soothing-soup.html