The Greengrocer by Giuseppe Arcimboldo (16th century). Image from Wikimedia Commons.
Today I finished planting my garden, and I was just imagining what I’ll be doing in a couple of months with my crops. Some of them don’t have particularly Italian applications that I know of. For example, rhubarb. It’s ready for pie-making now.
Asparagus hasn’t started peeking up yet, but I’m hoping to eat some in the next few weeks.
I have a patio pot with arugula planted in it this week. It’s too bitter for some people but I love the spicy bite of it in a salad, or even mixed into a sausage & potato Zuppa Toscana. And I’m growing the potatoes too.
Green beans in two varieties–one is the typical American string bean, the other the wide, creamy Romano. Looking forward to some of those sauteed with a bit of bacon!
I know I’ll be overrun with zucchini, because I planted FOUR of them. Aren’t they grand producers? And besides using them in minestrone, or sauteed with some tomato and basil, I’ll have plenty for zucchini bread. And for gifts.
In other garden beds I have some mixed salad greens, sweet onions, peas, beets, carrots, and red Swiss chard. I’ll plant a few tomatoes in another week or so. And scour my Italian cookbooks (and the web) for ways to use all of it.
Are you gardening? What’s your favorite thing to grow and eat Italian style?
The Italian South 
I just returned from Abruzzo and oh, fresh produce!!!! I am no gardner but I brought some seeds home from Italy and I’m gonna attempt to get tomatoes as red as the ones I ate there. Don’t get me started on the arugula. I’m in love. Wish me luck!
Sounds wonderful! Good luck with the growing–I have a pot of arugula sprouting on my back porch, just two steps from the kitchen door.