Flavors of autumn in Liguria

Do you think autumn is gray, bare and frankly a little sad? Not at all! In Liguria we can appreciate the warm colors of the landscape and taste the products that nature offers. In this period the citrus fruits ripen, the last persimmons are picked, a few more squash, the kiwis, while the harvesting and pressing of the olives is mostly finished. At Villa Paggi B&B the pace slows down and we dedicate more time to domestic activities such as preparing jams and marmalades, bottling new oil and, why not, experimenting with recipes to offer to our guests.

Among the jams there is plently of citrus fruit, which our trees produce in quantity. Orange, lemon, grapefruit and mandarin, belonging to the genus Citrus, kumquat or Chinese mandarin to the genus Fortunella, give joy to the garden in every season with the shiny dark green foliage, the delicate and fragrant flowers, the zàgare, and in winter they give fruits rich of vitamins for a healthy diet.

Persimmons (a tree of the Ebenaceae family from Asia) with yellow and red-orange leaves also brighten up the autumn days and have given us a rich harvest of fruits. Precious for their beta-carotene and mineral content, excellent for sports nutrition, very popular in Liguria, at the Villa Paggi Bed and Breakfast we use them for the preparation of tasty desserts and jams, alone or combined with other fruits.

Last spring we sowed some varieties of squash and in the fall we harvested beautiful pumpkins of various sizes and colors. This fruit of the Cucurbitaceae plant, appreciated for its anti-inflammatory properties, is very digestible, low in calories but rich in fiber, mineral salts, carotene, vitamin C and B1.

So let’s enjoy experimenting in the kitchen! New recipes that we do not reveal in advance are on the way for those who choose Liguria as a destination for their next summer holidays and will come and visit us at our B&B, re-opening next spring. For now, a little taste, which we invite you to try: if you like the famous linguine with Genoese pesto, replace the garlic with some wedges of orange and lemon and … enjoy your meal!