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You can grow an apple tree with seeds from an apple, but don’t wait around for any apples from that tree…. because it won’t produce any unless you graft your apple tree. WHAT? Have you ever wondered why the cherry tree you bought from your local garden center never produces any cherries? It was probably never grafted.
grafting diagram from tutorvista.com
Grafting a fruit tree or Innestare in Italian is to add a branch of an existing fruiting tree to another tree in order for it to produce fruit. There are many ways to graft a tree and for a few hours my Zio Gino gave me a crash course in tree grafting. A walk around his garden with the bounty of various types of trees will soon convince you of his expertise. He knows more than one way to graft a tree and why one way is better than another depending on the type of tree your grafting. Many Italians are master tree grafters… there’s a reason why the fruit trees that Italians own actually bear fruit! Do any come to mind?
So the next time you see a fruit tree that doesn’t produces fruit… you’ll know why.
The sweetest Yellow Plums you'll ever taste
Mad Scientist - Half Lemon, Half Mandarin Orange
The half lemon, half manderin orange tree above actually produces lemons on one side and manderin oranges on the other!!
The only thing better than foraging for mushrooms here in the US is foraging for mushrooms in Italy! I learned to forage for wild mushrooms from my grandfather, father and uncles so when we were in Calabria this summer, my brother, uncle, E and I hit the woods early in the morning to avoid the heat and try our luck. We walking through chestnut groves in the Calabrian mountains and brought home some porcinis and chantrelles… two of my favorites! Here are a few photos from our forage.
My brother and Uncle.. ready to go!
Yes, they were as good as they look...
I know many Italian Americans forage for mushrooms and a few days ago I received a few photos of some wild mushrooms from Don who recently went on a foraging expedition as well… thanks Don! Who’s ready for a wild mushroom expedition in Italy??
The winners of the Tropea Onion Seeds are: Paula DeStefano, ItalyLovers and Chef Chuck… congrats and thanks to everyone for participating!
Tropea, located on the Tyrrhenian coast of Calabria has always been a favorite spot of mine… so when I visit, I often spend a day there. What’s not to love? With its crystal clear waters and historic town center, Tropea has a little something for everyone.
Santa Maria dell’Isola stands watch over the city on the famous rock that makes Tropea so recognizable (although it’s currently under construction.) The town of about 7 thousand swells in the summer and has become one of Calabria’s largest tourist destinations. I visited Tropea with my mother a few weeks ago… who spent a school year there as a child and told us stories of her time there.
The town center full of shops, restaurants and bars is elevated and overlooks the sea. It’s a wonderful place to visit or spend a vacation.
With all its beauty, Tropea is most famous for its onions… the red onion of Tropea or “Cipolla rosa di Tropea” is sweet and slightly oval in shape and sought after worldwide. Visit Tropea and you’ll find red onion gelato, red onion marmalade and just about anything else you can think of. Although it has been said that Tropea’s red onions don’t grow as good outside of the area, I thought I would give my readers a chance to give it a try in their own gardens! I’m giving away three packs of Tropea onion seeds to three readers chosen at random. This is what you need to do to participate:
- Leave a comment on this post by Thursday Aug 12th at 5pm
- Subscribe to the Post Feed or retweet this post (if you already subscribe to the post feed, all you need to do is comment)
I’m back from our trip to Calabria and trying my best to get back into the swing of things… hope you are all having a wonderful summer so far. I’m looking forward to sharing some stories, recipes and photos from the trip.
The beauty of visiting family in Italy is getting back to your roots. In Calabria it all starts in the garden… and what a garden they have! My uncle would say, “which garden?” Unfortunately, not all of us have multiple gardens to choose from but for those of you who do have gardens or farmer’s markets in your area, here’s a simple way to experience something that has never disappointing me. Zucchini Flowers or fiori di zucca.
thanks to SpecialKRB on Flickr for a great photo
I’ve tried these stuffed, deep fried, battered… you name it and they have always been delicious but sauteed in olive oil, garlic and onions with a sprinkle of salt and pepper are my favorite way to eat them. Give it a try and I promise you won’t be disappointing either. Add some to a slice of your favorite crunchy bread and you have a great summer bruschetta. Enjoy with a nice glass of your favorite wine and buon appetito!
Buy a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar. This bottle is an 18 year balsamic vinegar we received as a gift from my brother and sister-in-law. Pour a small amount into a spoon (the spoon pictured is an espresso spoon) and put it in your mouth with a piece of parmigiano cheese. It’s a party in your mouth!
Venetian Mask GC Giveaway. Thanks to everyone who participated in the Venetian Mask GC Giveaway and to www.1001venetianmasks.com if you haven’t checked out their website yet, make sure you do! I chose a winner at random using random.org and the winner is Pat from Mille Fiori Favoriti. Congrats Pat, I will be in touch!
Escarole is a favorite green in many Italian families. Some of the more popular ways to prepare escarole are in soup, with beans, and as a simple salad. The escarole in our garden has been ready for a few weeks now and we have been enjoying it to the fullest! One of my favorite ways to prepare escarole is cooked with bread.
Here’s what you need:
Fresh escarole
Extra virgin olive oil
garlic
day old bread or stuffing bread
salt and pepper
Here’s what you need to do:
Add a few tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil to a pot with some chopped garlic and let it simmer for a few minutes. Wash your escarole and chop it into pieces, then add it to your pot making sure the escarole is still wet as the water will help steam the escarole. Cover and stir occasionally until your escarole becomes tender, then add your bread or stuffing bread, salt and pepper (crushed red pepper if you like) and let it simmer for several minutes until the bread becomes soft. Simple and delicious! Drizzle a little fresh olive oil on top if you like. It makes a great side dish or main course with some fresh bread.
If you haven’t entered to win the $50 Venetian Mask gift certificate, you still have time (see post below.) I have extended the deadline until tomorrow at 5pm EST. Here’s what you need to do to win:
It’s been a busy few weeks but I hope to post more frequently before our trip to Italy in July. I’m sure there are many of you getting ready to vacation soon and I’m certain several of you are heading to Italy as well. It’s often difficult to brainstorm on what gifts to bring to your Italian friends and family and what to bring back to your loved ones from Italy. We always want to bring back gifts that you can’t easily find here in the States… which now a days is a difficult task!
If you’re headed to Venice, a Venetian Mask makes a great gift! I have several Venetian masks, which are wonderful to use as decoration or as an easy and classy costume. I have used mine several times as a Halloween costume. So, if your travel plans include Venice this summer, make sure to pick up a few Venetian masks! Oh, your not going to Venice this summer?? Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you! Italyville has teamed up with 1001VenetianMasks.com to give away a $50 gift certificate towards a purchase of one of their masks. They have a great selection of beautiful masks on their website, so make sure to head over and take a look.
Me with my Venetian Mask on Halloween
One of my favorites!
Here’s what you need to do to win the $50 gift certificate.
You need to leave a comment on this post
And either retweet this post (upper right corner of the post) or mention the giveaway with a link on your blog or facebook page.
You need to do both… if you don’t have a blog of your own or a facebook or twitter account… get one, they are all free! You have until (updated: extended until Friday June 18th at 5pm EST.) 1001 Venetian Masks only ships in the US, so if you win and are not in the US you can give the gift certificate away to someone you know who does. I’ll be choosing a winner at random. Good luck!
I wanted to mention a few things that landed in Italyville’s inbox recently.
- Judy from Hawaii is heading to Italy in September and staying in apartments and B&Bs… she’s looking for ideas for a thank you gift to bring for her hosts. Anyone?
- Two great events coming up this summer that you might want to check out: The Fancy Food Show is back in NYC June 27-29 at the Javits Center… E and I went last year and we loved it! Foods and exhibitors from around the world (along with lots of free samples!) and Foodista is co-hosting the 2nd annual International Food Blogger Conference in Seattle Aug 27-29.
- After posting on my father’s home-town of San Michele (CZ) in Calabria, I received a few emails from my cousins Tom (Virginia) and Rose (Australia) who have created a monster family tree… so glad they contacted me. I’m helping to fill in my father’s side and hope to meet Tom and Rose someday. Grazie 1000 Tom and Rose!
- Finally, E and I are headed to Italy in July (I know… 2 trips in 1 year! thanks to my Delta Skymiles) We will be headed to the Amalfi coast for a few days before heading south to Calabria. I haven’t spent much time on the Amalfi coast, so any recommendations on hotels, restaurants and must-see places are welcome. Positano? vs Amalfi?
One of my all time favorite Italian songs… Ornella Vanoni singing l’appuntamento. Classy, romantic and beautiful. We played it during our cocktail hour at our wedding… you don’t need to understand Italian to appreciate this wonderful song.
Are you going to Italy this summer? If so, you must be very excited! Before you go, you’ll have lots of decisions to make on what to bring and not to bring. Here are a few tips to help you get started.
First of all, make sure your passport is up to date… I know it sounds silly but your passport needs to be valid for 90 days beyond your stay. So if your trip is July 1-15 and your passport expires in September, you might think that you’re all set… WRONG: you’ll need to renew it before you leave.
Also, make sure you know your airline’s baggage limits. Alitalia for example changed their baggage limit from 2 checked bags to 1 checked bag this past year. You’ll need to pay $50 for a second bag and your first born child for a third! (Also make sure to bring some quarters just in case the bathroom door on the plane requires one for entry… just kidding!)
Ok… so I’m sure there are plenty of things you would like to bring with you to Italy but let’s start with 5 things NOT to bring to Italy:
Don’t bring too many shoes: Keep in mind your baggage has a weight limit (Alitalia has a 20kg or approximately 44 pound limit for the first bag, 2nd bag is $50) Not to mention, you’re going to ITALY remember?…. where they make some of the best shoes in the world. Can you think of a better reason to go shopping. Ladies?
Too much Bling! Nothing attracts thieves like bling bling… you know, jewelry. Plus, I know a guy at the train station in Naples that has some really great jewelry for sale!! (just kidding)
Large amounts of currency. There are several ways to change dollars into Euros but the worst way in my opinion is to bring a large amount of USD and change it at the airport. The exchange rates at the airport are usually some of the worst rates for changing currency. If you want to bring some Euros with you, your local bank can usually exchange currency for you with a week or two of notice (depending on where you live.) The easiest way to change currency is to visit an ATM machine once you get there. Don’t change too much… you don’t want to stress about having too much money in your wallet or back at your hotel room and you don’t want to have to change it back to dollars!
Electronics… aside from your camera of course, what else do you really need to bring? a lap-top? do you really want to work on vacation? cell-phone? will your cell phone work in Italy? make sure you find out before you leave… and remember, not only will you get charged international calling rates but roaming rates as well. Hair dryer? I would recommend leaving your hair dryer at home unless you have a good voltage converter that you know works…. a good hair dryer is usually 1800+ watts. Many hotels have hair dryers in each room and you can always buy an inexpensive hair dryer when you arrive.
Leave your attitude at home! Just remember, your not home… so don’t expect everything to be like home. Hotels in Italy are different, restaurants are different, service is different… the way Italians do things is probably different than what you’re used to. If you want everything to be the same, stay home! Being polite and doing your best to adapt to Italian culture will go a long way.
Do you have any items you would recommend NOT bringing?
Joe Maruca welcomes you to Italyville where he writes and rants about growing up Italian in Massachusetts, his experiences living and working in Bologna, visits to the family's Olive farm in Calabria and everything along the way. In America we're considered Italian, in Italy we've become Americani... but we're always at home in Italyville.
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Thanks to Kla! on flickr for this wonderful photo
thanks to SpecialKRB on Flickr for a great photo
One of my favorites!
The clock tower in 
