Pignoletto del Musset Corn (Zea mays)

Pignoletto dal Musset Corn (Zea mays): "cinquantino" corn, meaning it's ready to harvest in 50 days, cultivated and preserved for many years by Toni del Musset, and brought to Cercatori di Semi by Jonny Ferrari, a passionate enthusiast always on the lookout for ancient and sustainable varieties. This extremely hardy corn tolerates both early and late planting well, and is tolerant of low temperatures. The plant doesn't exceed 1.2 meters (4.2 feet) tall and isn't very productive, with each plant rarely producing more than one cob (note: this is a term we allow ourselves, but it's not exactly correct). It's small, around 12-15 cm (5.5-6.5 inches), but it makes up for it with its hardiness and speed. A very high percentage of plants reach maturity, and the kernels are very regular and always well-formed.

Thanks to this corn, we (fortunately) met Jonny Renato Ferrari. Driven by a great and sincere passion for biodiversity and sustainability, he is always searching for ancient ecotypes to grow in the difficult conditions of his valley. In addition to Pignoetto dal Dente corn, he also produces the Santa Fetrina pumpkin from Belluno (not yet distributed), the Fumolet bean (BL), the giant grass pea from Delnice (Croatia), the Barano d'Ischia tomato (NA), and the Brovska otok Krk (a very rare cabbage from the island of Krk, Croatia). This corn was grown and preserved for almost sixty years by Toni del Musset, who produced it during the mountain pastures. The genetics are excellent thanks to the isolation where it has always been grown. Toni no longer grows corn, but thanks to Jonny and Cercatori di Semi, his legacy will not be lost.