Rich in vitamins (A, B1, B2, B3, B9, and C), mineral salts, and other nutrients such as iron, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, and potassium, courgette flowers seem to have found their place on the market, with satisfactory results for those who grow them. They are a refreshing and highly digestible niche product with low operating costs.
We talked about it with Luciana Digno of Real Frutta Digno, a company with an area of about 1 hectare dedicated to organic Fioretta in the southern Italian province of Matera.
"It's one of our top items, and every year we have a good harvest. With these edible flowers, we have been on the market since 26 April, and we think we can continue until the end of September. Even though the market price is not immediately low, the orders are constantly increasing. The wholesale prices initially fluctuated between 14 and 16 euros per kilo, and even now, they are not going below 5-6 euros. Every day we harvest about 200 kg of flowers that are sent to a number of markets in southern Italy. We use two packages, the 4-kilo boxes of 30x40 cm and plastic trays of 100 grams for customers who prefer ready-made packages."
"Harvesting takes place from 5:30 am to 8:00 am in the morning. The flowers are immediately moistened with nebulous spray, covered with a damp cloth, and then placed in a cold room with a temperature of 2-3 °C before leaving for their destination. The courgette is a monoecious species. This means that the same plant has both female flowers (which will produce the fruit) and male flowers. Fioretta, or the male flower, is used in cooking to prepare various dishes. Another product that does well is courgette fleur, the female flower with a fruit attached."
"We were a little skeptical about the current season because we were afraid of inflation, and therefore, of the consumer's tendency to save. Nevertheless, these first months of sales have left us more than satisfied, to the extent that we have decided to plant the crop in the fields as well, thus extending the harvest calendar."
For more information:
Real Frutta Digno - Azienda Agricola
C.da Marone, 120
75028 - Tursi (MT)
(+39) 339 8007497
az.realfruttadigno@libero.it