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late spring in the orto

At La Petraia, our menus are based entirely on what the property provides us.   The list is staggering and includes our  fruit, vegetables, wine,  meat, game, honey, milk, nuts, cheese, olives, vinegars and even some of our own grain.

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Courtyard animals

We forage for a wide variety of wild nuts, berries, herbs, mushrooms and seeds while our friends who hunt on the property supply us with hare, venison, pheasant, and wild boar.

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Wild boar, cinta senese, game birds

 Needless to say I write a harvest list rather than a shopping list.

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orto detail

When I do purchase ingredients they are the few staples we don’t produce that we have decided we don’t want to go without.  Each year this list grows shorter, and this year I count our main purchases on six fingers: salt, coffee and chocolate along with some of our flour, a very limited amount of sugar and cow’s milk products like parmesan, cream and butter.

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our vineyards

   Like every year, working every day with such inspiring products we’ve discovered lots of new and innovative ways to showcase them.  And like every year at this time, after we’ve said goodbye to our last guests and the harvest season is over, I turn my mind to documenting some of our more successful new ideas.

Duck liver, rye crumb, grape reduction

At the end of this post you will find  a partial list of some of these amazing ingredients I am so fortunate to work with.

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Our lavender fields

Please leave me a comment below if there is anything on this list you are particularly curious about.  Now that the season is over, I hope to begin to post again on a regular basis and your feedback will inspire me immensely.  I will do my best to post a recipe along with a story for you.

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Serra and Selva with our fresh sheep’s milk cheese and a variety of wild and foraged herbs, seeds, fruits and vegetables

The List

(partial and in no particular order)

honey

black currant

wild blackberry

wild apple

pear

peach

quince

fig

burista

mulberry

raspberry

plum

apricot

gooseberry

almond

hazelnut

chestnut

elderflower

elderberry

mushroom

zolfini beans

pea bean

chick pea

black eyed pea

cannellini bean

green, purple and yellow beans

sweet pepper

hot pepper

kale

horseradish

sheep’s milk

fresh pecorino cheese

sheep’s milk yogurt

lamb

muscovy duck

mallard duck

pheasant

cardoon

goose

quail

squab

partridge

cinta senese pork

chicken

guinea hen

rabbit

hare

quail, duck, goose and hen eggs

linseed

cumin flower

cumin seed

coriander flower

coriander seed

artichoke

corniolo (dogwood cherry)

lemon verbena

borage

nigella

helichrysum

poppy seed

cherry

erba stella

oxalis

calendula

camomile

peach almond

bitter almond

saffron

basil

parsley

thyme

rosemary

chive

ruta

sage

strawberry

wild boar

venison

grapes

wine

mead

spring and fall amaro

cherry pit liqueur

wild blackberry digestivo

quince and honey digestivo

nocino

olive

raisin

bay leaf

juniper berry

grape juice

prosicutto

salami

violet tomatilla

lavender oil

gota/guanciale

spalla

lardo

olive oil

zucchini

cucumber

sausage

rigatino

farro

Oxalis tuberosa

asparagus

purslane/portulaca

wild fennel seed

wild fennel pollen

nepitella

mentuccia

scallion

shallot

garlic

celery

celery root

tomato

kohlrabi

morele di balbis

turnips

fennel

rutabaga

cauliflower

broccoli

beetroot

fave

capofreddo

pea

chard

lovage

radish

squash

leek

onion

wild and cultivated chicory

lettuce

sprouts and microgreens

valeria

rye

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