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Olive plants have long played an important role in Christian symbolism. It was an olive branch that marked the end of the flood in the biblical episode of Noah’s ark, and in Psalms 51:10 the fruit of the olive tree stands as a symbol of the blessings of God in the lives of believers.  But not many of us may know that a rare white olive tree, also k...

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In Puglia and Basilicata, bunches of asparagus at small greengrocers have a wild look. These lanky stalks are distant relatives of the shoots you’d find packaged in a supermarket — because they’re foraged.  Learning the art of scavenger hunting for asparagus in forests, and king trumpet mushrooms among wild thistle, is a way of life in towns around...

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According to the latest Ismea report, 2022-2023 global orange production is estimated at 47.5 million tons, down 5% year over year. A decrease that, in Italy, stands at -25%. In this scenario, Sicily is the first Italian region in terms of area invested in oranges, with about two- thirds of the national total: compared to 2021, there is a decline o...

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According to recent Ismea research, Italian tomato production is around 1 million tons (+9.5% in 10 years); annual per capita consumption is about 18 kg, also growing, with +12.9% over the decade. In this framework, the region of Sicily ranks first in national production with about 40% of the areas, which total about 25 thousand hectares. The Pomod...

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Olive trees in Apulia cover more than 370,000 hectares of cultivated land with 60 million plants. It is the largest crop in the region (64% of the utilized agricultural area) and involves as many as 148,127 farms (43% of the total), also accounting for 40% of the area planted with olive trees in the South, almost 32% nationally and 8% in the Europe...

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Until about ten years ago, the eggplant and I were sworn enemies. Largely flavorless, tough in texture, and rather unappetizing with its strange oblong shape and bizarre-sounding moniker, it was but an unwanted discovery in a plate of ratatouille, or a dissatisfying replacement for meat in a particularly uninspired vegetarian dish. I picked it out...

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It was mid-February, and I felt like I hadn’t seen the sun for months when I arrived on the beguiling island of Sicily. Italy’s largest island shimmered with an intense shade of green, flecked with the occasional bright splash of orange, thanks to the citruses of the same name, as we drove through the endlessly winding roads of the southeast of the...

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Italian scientists have built a robot with the shape of a seed and with the ability to explore the soil based on humidity changes. Based on a type of geranium, it is made of biodegradable materials and is able to move within the surrounding environment without requiring batteries or other external sources of energy. The I-Seed is the first 3D-print...

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In the U.S., more and more people are starting to discover what Mediterranean peoples have known for—literally—7,000 years: the wonders of olive oil. Homer called it “liquid gold”; the ancient Greeks said that the goddess Athena had created olives; King David hired guards to protect Israel’s olive groves and warehouses. Ancient peoples used olive o...

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On a warm late winter morning, Antonio Lancellotta, a 35-year-old farmer, shows me around one of his family's unorthodox 1.8-acre (7,280 square metre) greenhouse in Scalea, southern Italy. Rows of lush citron trees (Citrus medica), heavy with white flowers fill the space. Yet, above the trees, at about 12.5ft (3.8m) above the ground, alternating li...

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