Radicchio, in all its glorious forms, is a vegetable indelibly associated with Italy. But when a group of growers in the Pacific Northwest of the USA decided to use radicchio to extend their growing and marketing season, they quickly realised that they knew next to nothing about the crop.

Lane Selman from Oregon State University had started the Culinary Breeding Network to help those growers and travelled to Italy to learn what she could about producing radicchio successfully. Ten years on, Lane and her colleagues have come out with a beautiful book all about radicchio, from planting the seeds to eating the recipes.

Have a listen, and learn how radicchio spread its wings

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