Working with a Farmer

After discovering the Striped Carosello Leccese I was very interested in having a farmer grow out this variety for me. I wanted to ensure that I could produce enough seed to distribute this variety to more people. So, I called in the counties around where I lived and spread the news that I wanted to pay a farmer for some seed.

Eventually one farmer reached out. He was already growing melons, so it wouldn’t work very well to grow to seed in 2020. However, we did try a row of the Striped Leccese, some of which did sell. In the middle of the pandemic and a fire that nearly burned our home as well as his farm, we grew out these cucumbers.

I went through and made one harvest, but with the fires and the pandemic it was difficult to find individuals who would even try them out. So I paid the farmer for the fruit that I harvested and shared as much as I could with others.

Here are a few videos I made while harvesting: And here are some more pictures of the harvest and the fruit.