Sicilian Rocket (Arugula)

Spicy spicy spicy! This variety of arugula from Sicily is very peppery and very delicious, with flavors of black pepper and citrus. Natalie Costa of Winnetuxet Farm grew these seeds for us, and he said: "It's kinda the most pungent green I've eaten. I just pull up a plant and eat the whole thing. Very refreshing and a good way to get your mouth going!"

Here's the story: Aurora, a seed keeper in town, brought seeds of this variety (and many others) to a Philadelphia Seed Exchange a few years back (see photos!). Her Uncle Steven is generally dissatisfied with American vegetables, saying, "they don't taste right." He was particularly disappointed by the arugula he tasted here. He said: "that's not Arugula, THIS is Arugula," and gave her these seeds which had originally come from back home in Sicily. We immediately gave them to our friend Natalie since his people also come from Sicily, and we are so glad he was able to share them back with us for the seed catalog!

Days to maturity: 21-44

Seeds per pack: 50
Seeds per bulk packet: approx. 500

Germination rate: 97% on 10/02/2024

Planting / harvesting notes

Seed every 1" in rows 8-12" apart, 1/4-1/2" deep. Keep watered until germination. Thin to every 4-6" for full heads, or treat as cut-and-come-again baby greens. Harvest baby greens after 21 days, or allow plant to mature in 44 days.

Seed keeping notes

Isolate by 1/2 mile from other flowering Arugulas (Eruca sativa), to avoid unwanted cross-pollination. Allow seed pods to turn brown and dry before seed harvest. Protect from birds.

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