Thanks to the terraces, the mild climate and fertile soil vegetables can be cultivated all year around. In a perfect union, gardening in Tramonti combines vegetable gardens between fruit trees, next to wine and chestnut terraces. A system that provides shade and food on a small space all year around!
SUMMER
With the beginning of summer you can notice a lot of tomatoes, often the old variety “Re Fiascone”! These plants are not the only ones that get along with the high temperatures. Also, eggplants, courgettes and peppers can be found in gardens.
AUTUMN
During the colder seasons you can even harvest fresh veggies! There will be grapes, walnuts, potatoes, pumpkin and chestnuts. Around November locals start to plant fennel and salads. The salads are on small “hills”, this prevents that the soil gets too wet which would start root rot during the heavy rainfall in this season. Around Christmas they are ready to be harvested and give an excellent side dish for Christmas supper!
The further you go up the mountain, the more chestnut trees you’ll see. With the ripe chestnuts falling on the ground, locals start to collect and sell them. All around Italy they get either sold in supermarkets or you can get them already roasted, where you can buy them from little stalls in the cities.
WINTER
Potato and pumpkin taste in one plant? Yes, all this is possible with sechium. An odd-shaped pumpkin, which has a yellow green colour and has spikes like a chestnut! Originally, it’s from south America (like tomatoes!) and it can climb several meters. It can be processed in many ways. After peeling it you can either eat in raw in a salad, fry it or it can be baked. In winter, we also eat broccoli, salad and fennel that were planted in autumn and pumpkin and potatoes that we store from the harvest in autumnn.
SPRING
Fava beans can be already harvested in spring, they require enough water, so they profit a lot from the mild and rainy winters. Also, try grilled archichokes and wild asparagus! They are very traditional in many parts of Campania Region.
SPECIAL FRUITS
Explore along the path also some special varieties of apples: Melanurca and Mela Cancaona!
SPECIAL VEGETABLES
Find out more about the tomato which was on the original Pizza Margherita in 1898, Re Fiascone tomato, here: https://www.acarbio.org/en/pomodoro-re-umberto-detto-fiascone/ www.refiascone.it
The PATHWAY OF TERRACES
This element is on the pathway of terraces which was created in the ESC Solidarity project Incontriamoci nei terrazzamenti. Find out more: www.acarbio.org/en/icontriamoci-nei-terrazzamenti or https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/0/edit?mid=1d41bjKkL4b_PqDAnVSB4NGr7PKnHWpo&ll=40.70315258759983%2C14.634084051706061&z=20