The 'golden' onion of Parma, Italy. A late maturing onion with golden upright top-shaped large bulbs. Excellent storage quality. Compares to any of the top yellow varieties for taste. The shape makes for great slicing. Long Day. Untreated seed.

Golden onions of Parma stand out for their refined simplicity, enclosed in a skin with a sophisticated colour. On the inside, however, it is extremely simple and genuine, so much so that it is appreciated worldwide. It is, in fact, an antique variety famous throughout Europe.

Golden onions of Parma are particularly resistant and easy to preserve. They are large and pyramid in shape and range from straw yellow to intense gold.

This variety takes a long time to develop. It is sown in mid-winter between December and February, but is not harvested until the summer, between mid-July and the end of August. One of the reasons that makes it so successful lies in its storage properties: golden onions of Parma can be perfectly preserved until well after the winter, especially if stored in a cellar or pantry, inside a basket covered with a sheet of newspaper, in a paper bag or cardboard box, where any chance of humidity that might cause the growth of micro-organisms is kept under control.

Which cooking methods bring the best out of the golden onion of Parma? Thanks to its intense taste, it is not very suitable to be consumed raw. On the contrary, its sweet taste can be best savoured in dishes that are cooked slowly, such as soups or braised meats. These qualities have earned it a place of honour on any table in Emilia, but also the Marche region – where it is popular in onion and tomato omelette – and in Umbria, the home of the “cipollata”, or onion stew. Even in simpler preparations, the golden onion of Parma will bowl you over with its sweet taste: try it baked, cut into slices and fried with breadcrumbs, served with anchovy fillets or a few slivers of hard cheese.

From a nutritional viewpoint, the golden onion of Parma is rich in vitamin C and calcium. It also has vermifuge, antiseptic and diuretic properties, being very close to the true rustic onion that are so popular with Emilian farmers.

Basil Mix: Spicy Globe, Thai, Liquorice, Purple Opal, Large Leaf, Lemon, Cinnamon, Dwarf, Loose Leaf

Medium-early cycle variety. Round-oval fruit, smooth, brilliant black color.

Strong plant, erect, with plenty of healthy leaves, full covering, high yeld. Transport and handles well, besides being suitable for industrial processing.

Suitable for greenhouse and open field cultivation. 

Loose leaf, tango-type.

8" tall and 12" wide with frilly leaves. Mildly sweet flavour. 

Lactuca sativa

Days Until Harvest: 50

Curly-crinkle leaves

Delicious tangy flavor.

Iceberg lettuce grows in small, dense heads. Commonly used in salads and sandwiches, they are prized more for their texture and crispiness than for the flavor of the leaves themselves. Iceberg was first cultivated in the Salinas Valley of California, then packed in ice and distributed across the US on trains, earning its namesake. Space plants 12" apart with 18" between rows.

These are the family favourite lettuce variety for salads and sandwiches. Make sure to give steady watering throughout the year to allow for these to properly shape into round, firm heads.  Your kids will thank you!

78 Days to Harvest!

Scotch bonnet, also known as bonney peppers, or Caribbean peppers, is a variety of chili pepper named for its resemblance to a tam o' shanter hat. It is ubiquitous in West Africa. Most Scotch bonnets have a heat rating of 100,000–350,000 Scoville units.

WEAR GLOVES WHEN HANDLING, DO NOT TOUCH YOUR EYES! WASH HANDS AFTER TOUCHING!

Cultivar: 'Scotch Bonnet'

Heat: Very hot

Scoville scale: 100,000–350,000 SHU

Yellow Scotch Bonnet - This pepper gives Jamaican chicken dishes their special flavor! Scotch Bonnet goes by several names including Jamaican Hot, Martinique Pepper and Bahama Mama. It is closely related to the habanero, but with a sweeter flavor and stouter shape. The pods are 1-1/2" wide and 1-1/2" long and have a citrus-like flavor with a lot of heat. They mature from green to bright yellow on very productive 24" tall plants.  Capsiucum chinense (90 days). 

Capsiucum chinense strains require a great deal of attention during the germination process. Moisture and a constant and consistent heat range must be maintained. Place the seeds in sterile media and cover 1/4” deep. Provide 85°F bottom heat, bright light and keep moist at all times. Seeds will germinate in 7 - 21 days. Transplant seedlings into pots and grow until there are 6 true leaves on the plant. Plant them directly into rich soil, 30” apart or into containers. 

Super Red forms a loose head with a spectacular magenta red colour. The open style heads are medium to larger in size with deeply lobed leaves. This makes a great baby leaf variety and makes any salad come alive! Slow to bolt in summer heat and keeps its mild, non-bitter flavour. Colour is best in cooler weather but stands up well in summer. Upright growth habit. CULTURE: Lettuce is a sun-loving cool weather crop that grows best in organic, well drained soil. Sow as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring, then every two weeks thereafter to ensure a continuous supply. Sow about 3 mm (1/8″) deep in rows 45 cm (18″) apart. An even supply of moisture during the entire growth period is imperative for success. Harvest leaf lettuce by either pulling the entire plant or by cutting leaves from the main stem at least 2.5 cm (1″) above the base – this will allow the plant to sprout new leaves. Harvest head lettuce by cutting the head off at the base just below the lower leaves. Once lettuce bolts (starts to produce a rapidly growing flower stem) leaves become bitter.

Full Sun to Partial Sun

Height: Low to Medium (7.5 to 30 cm)(3" to 12")

Open Pollinated variety

Maroon-red, deeply cut and finely divided leaves

leaves are crisp and delicious and make an eye-catching addition mixed with green lettuc

Jimmy Nardello peppers are a variety of Sweet Italian frying pepper that originated in southern Italy. They are known for their rippled skin, sweet flavor, and high yields. 

Shape: Long, slender, and tapered, with a conical shape and blunt or pointed tip 

Skin: Shiny, smooth, taut, waxy, and glossy, with a rippled texture 

Color: Ripen from green to a deep red color 

Flavor: Sweet, fruity, and mild, with a complex flavor of apple and sweet pepper 

Texture: Crisp, aqueous, and succulent when raw, becoming soft and buttery when cooked 

Uses 

Can be eaten raw or cooked

Great for frying in olive oil and using as a topping for pizza, pasta, and eggs

Can be added to sandwiches or crusty bread

Can be served with antipasti plates

A pumpkin seed, also known in North America as a pepita, is the edible seed of a pumpkin or certain other cultivars of squash. The seeds are typically flat and asymmetrically oval, have a white outer husk, and are light green in color after the husk is removed.

Pumpkins are actually a type of winter squash. Many varieties can send out vines that are 10 to 20 feet long, which can be challenging for a raised-bed garden. One option is to grow them on a trellis, such as the Cucumber Trellis. Use a mesh bag or fabric to help support especially heavy fruit. Another technique is to plant them on an outside corner of your raised bed and let the vines ramble onto the grass.

Like summer squash, winter squash need rich soil that's been amended with compost. They need warm weather and warm soil to grow and produce well. In most cases, it takes 90 to 100 days from planting seeds until the squash are ripe. Cold-climate gardeners may want to get an early start by planting seeds indoors about three weeks before the last spring frost. Plant two seeds per 3" pot, and cut off one if both grow.

Transplant into the garden a week or two after the last spring frost. You can warm the soil by covering it with clear plastic, which works better than the traditional black plastic, as long as you seal the edges with soil to contain the heat.

Some winter squash and pumpkins — the bigger ones, generally — will only produce a couple of fruit per plant. The seed catalog or seed packet should tell you what to expect. Pumpkins are always fun for kids, but not always good for pie. If you want jack-o-lanterns, you can grow any variety; for pies and soups, look for "pie pumpkins" or "sugar pumpkins," which have sweeter, more flavorful flesh.