In an article in issue 7-8 of OlivoeOlio (2011), Adolfo Rosati discusses the possibility of going back to the Italian tradition of mixedfarming (coltura promiscua), in which perennial polycultures have elevated yields because of botanic synergy. Rosati, in an article entitled “Asparagi nell’oliveto: E la produzione raddoppia” (Asparagus in the Olive Orchard: And the Production Doubles), suggests that we think of byproducts of the olive oil production process (e.g. the nuts and the “sansa,” or water) as “co-products”: the former can be burned for heat while the latter can be a raw product for the chemical industry.
Wild asparagus can command prices of up to €30 per kilo in Italy.
In addition, the author recommends using the surface underneath the olive trees for companion planting. He gives a long list of possible beneficial plants–among them rucola, chicory, purslane, poppies, and Queen Anne’s Lace–reminding his audience that the much-vaunted “Mediterranean Diet” had a large plant component that came not from cultivated species but rather from wild, foraged species (something left out of the current MD pyramid). Rosati concludes by offering the wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius) as the best choice for companion planting. Technical data have recently been published (bibliography available from the author) on its cultivation, and the plant is not eaten by chickens, who Rosati adds are excellent weeders and cultivators in the understory of an olive orchard, in addition to another source of food. Apparently the Region of Umbria has financed studies to find the optimum combinations of these companions. ZN
Grazie a Deborah Rim Moiso per la segnalazione.
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Asparagus in the Olive Orchard
In an article in issue 7-8 of OlivoeOlio (2011), Adolfo Rosati discusses the possibility of going back to the Italian tradition of mixedfarming (coltura promiscua), in which perennial polycultures have elevated yields because of botanic synergy. Rosati, in an article entitled “Asparagi nell’oliveto: E la produzione raddoppia” (Asparagus in the Olive Orchard: And the Production Doubles), suggests that we think of byproducts of the olive oil production process (e.g. the nuts and the “sansa,” or water) as “co-products”: the former can be burned for heat while the latter can be a raw product for the chemical industry.
Wild asparagus can command prices of up to €30 per kilo in Italy.
In addition, the author recommends using the surface underneath the olive trees for companion planting. He gives a long list of possible beneficial plants–among them rucola, chicory, purslane, poppies, and Queen Anne’s Lace–reminding his audience that the much-vaunted “Mediterranean Diet” had a large plant component that came not from cultivated species but rather from wild, foraged species (something left out of the current MD pyramid). Rosati concludes by offering the wild asparagus (Asparagus acutifolius) as the best choice for companion planting. Technical data have recently been published (bibliography available from the author) on its cultivation, and the plant is not eaten by chickens, who Rosati adds are excellent weeders and cultivators in the understory of an olive orchard, in addition to another source of food. Apparently the Region of Umbria has financed studies to find the optimum combinations of these companions. ZN
Grazie a Deborah Rim Moiso per la segnalazione.
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