Patrons may soon start seeing small bags of Agretti in their boxes in the coming weeks! Also known as Monk’s Beard, this Italian green is a true springtime delicacy that is often compared to samphire.
With a slightly salty taste and a satisfyingly crunchy texture, it’s incredibly versatile. Here is everything you need to know about enjoying and growing this unique plant.
How to use it
Raw: Agretti is delicious mixed raw into fresh salads.
Cooked: We recommend sautéing it gently with a little olive oil, salt, and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice. It makes a perfect side dish for pasta, fish, or as a vibrant topping for savoury tarts. Careful not to overcook it, as you’ll look that lovely crunch!
How to grow and harvest it
You may have noticed we’ve been selling Agretti seedlings at our nursery, plant sales, and through our hubs. For those of you who have picked up a seedling, here are a few expert planting and harvesting tips to get the most out of your crop:
Give it space: Plant your Agretti with about 30cm of space around each seedling. Although it looks small now, it loves to grow big and bushy!
Try companion planting: It’s an excellent understory crop to plant beneath trailing or tall plants like tomatoes or cucumbers. At the nursery, we’ve planted a row under our tomatoes. It enjoys the company and takes advantage of the space as the tomatoes climb.
- Harvesting for a longer yield: You can start harvesting the shoots when the plant is around 10–20cm tall. To encourage a longer harvest, cut the stem just above a growth point (where the blue line indicates in the photo below). This encourages the small side shoots to branch out and multiply.
Saving seeds: Toward the end of summer, you’ll notice the plant becomes a bit tougher and less tasty. At this point, let the plant go to seed! Agretti seeds are technically tiny plants, so harvest them and store them in a cool, dry space to ensure they stay viable for next year.
It’s been really fun trialling new vegetable varieties in the nursery, and we hope you love this one as much as we do!
Let us know how you get on with your plant. What did you plant your Agretti next to? How was your harvest? Most importantly, how did you cook it? Send us your photos to info@thefoodworks.org
Want to try some?
If you’d like to try some, head to one of our hubs to purchase (subject to availability). Alternatively, sign up for a weekly patron box to get your hands on some freshly harvested from the farm.