QUALITALY_133

March/April 2023 VI MAGAZINE As in so many situations, ‘in the field’ practice makes perfect. Telling the customer where that tasty sprout that releases all its freshness in the mouth picked with our hands was born will give satisfaction to both the customer and the cook. As it should be. And it will help to remind us that in the end cooking and welcoming others is perhaps a tough job, but also a wonderful one. __________________________________ BOX When: March to June and then September (the ‘second spring’) How: with respect for nature and the local inhabitants Where: wherever there is a pristine field away from busy roads Why: for personal satisfaction, to release the adrenalin of service, to get to know one’s own territory and its culinary traditions, for team building, because contact with nature heals and to give one’s own cuisine an original identity Who: look for people in the area who run courses or simply talk to locals who have always foraged herbs __________________________________ BOX Resources, books, courses Mariangela Susigan organises courses with botanist Lucia Papponi and also gives advice to colleagues. In May there is the classic Foraging in Valchiusella. For info and bookings info@gardeniacaluso.it and https://www.gardeniacaluso.com/erbe- spontanee-in-cucina/ ▶ The Wooding Academy of Valeria Margherita Mosca, author of ‘Learn the art of foraging’ (Giunti editore) organises courses for cooks and bartenders Info: https://wood-ing.org/categoria-prodotto/ academy/ ▶ Mina Novello organises walks with lunch at Oasi Zegna, info https://www. oasizegna.com/it/inverno/foraging-oasi- zegna-piemonte_2306.html ▶ Terry Monroe, barlady for 20 years in Milan, holds knowledge courses on spices and herbs. Info Speziology https:// speziology.it/ ▶ Vild Mad if you happen to go to Denmark download the app designed by René Redzepi to help foragers identify over 100 local plants ▶ The website https://www.piante- spontanee.it/ presents photos and descriptions of 72 families and 449 species found in various parts of Italy __________________________________ BOX The most common � the dandelion : the bitterish leaves are eaten raw in salads or cooked, from the flowers a ‘honey’ or jelly is made, excellent with cheese � silene: as children you may have played at bursting the globular flowers, but few know that this plant is very tasty and sweet and excellent for risottos and soups � elder and acacia flowers are used for sweet or savoury pancakes � so-called wild asparagus are not botanically related to asparagus and are very delicate � spiked rampion , a sweet plant to be eaten cooked, can be recognised in bloom by its pink to purple spike � nettle is a remineralising plant excellent in many recipes, soups and omelettes, usually eaten cooked more rarely raw, chopped � wild valerian, the ancestor of the valerian we find in bags, was harvested at Easter and served with eggs or dandelion � the fleshy, sweet Alpine clover flowers are added at the end of cooking to mixed herb and rice-milk soups to which it gives a special buttery flavour � mallow flowers and leaves are cooked in rice and milk soups to which they give a pleasant flavour: they have emollient and anti-inflammatory properties � primula flower corollas, daisy heads or borage flowers are part of the traditional ingredients of herb omelettes and tender spring salads __________________________________ AT PAGE 20 FOCUS ON The red gold of the earth DROUGHT, HIGH PACKAGING COSTS AND CRITICAL PRICE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN FARMERS AND THE INDUSTRY. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE ISSUES REVOLVING AROUND THE TOMATO SECTOR. AN INDISPENSABLE PRODUCT FOR BOTH HORECA AND DOMESTIC USE ON WHICH EXPERTS IN THE SECTOR HAVE EXPRESSED THEIR OPINION AND MADE A CLEAR ANALYSIS by Maddalena Baldini Always considered a ‘poor product’ of agriculture, today the tomato is experiencing quite a few difficulties: complex situations dictated by various factors - first and foremost prices - that are intertwined with the well-known problems of a climatic nature. A very clear focus on the tomato sector (mainly industrial tomatoes) was presented by Ismea (Institute of Services for the Agricultural Food Market) with figures and numbers relating to the 2022 harvest; among the main increases was that of prices at all stages of the supply chain, a factor that, in turn, has led to a significant increase in the retail cost of canned tomatoes. Again following Ismea data, production in Italy should be closely monitored, given that on an annual basis, the areas invested have dropped by 8.4% in addition to a 9.7% drop in production, although the 2022 harvest has been confirmed with a positive sign of 2.4% compared to the past three years. The outlook? The 2022-23 campaign has started with a reduction in sales and an increase in spending and retail prices: however, the inflationary wave that has reduced the purchasing power of families at European level could (the conditional here is a must) favour the sale of canned tomatoes to satisfy the needs of the population. An issue that obviously also extends to the Horeca world and what revolves around it. Added to this is the complexity of finding an agreement on prices between farmers and industry. Two authoritative figures in the sector, Marco Allaria Olivieri , Regional Director of Coldiretti Emilia Romagna, and Giuseppe Stasi , Italy Sales Director of Rosso Gargano, a company in the Foggia area, are given a voice. THE ANALYSIS BY COLDIRETTI EMILIA ROMAGNA “We are going through an unprecedented economic and social period, with an unprecedented increase in production costs,” says Allaria Olivieri . “Agricultural companies are forced to face price