Once a king had to die. He was a very powerful king, but he was sick to death and despaired: «Is it possible that such a powerful king should die? What do my wizards do? Why don't they save me?". But the wizards had fled for fear of losing their heads. There was only one left, an old wizard who no one listened to, because he was a little crazy. The king had not consulted him for many years, but this time he sent for him. «You can save yourself - said the magician - as long as you give up your throne for one day to the man who resembles you more than all the others. He will then die in your place."

A proclamation was immediately made throughout the kingdom: "Those who resemble the king must present themselves at Court within twenty-four hours, under penalty of life." Many showed up: some had noses a little longer or a little shorter and, even if they had the same beard as the king's, the magician rejected them; others resembled the king as one orange resembles another in the greengrocer's box, but the magician rejected them because they were missing a tooth or because they had a mole on their back. One evening the king and his magician were walking on the city ramparts and suddenly the magician shouted: "Behold, here is the man who resembles you more than all the others!". And in saying this he pointed to a beggar who was crippled, crippled, half-blind, dirty and full of scabs. «But how is it possible... - protested the king - there is an abyss between us...». «A king who must die - insisted the magician - only resembles the poorest, most unfortunate person in the city. Quick, change your clothes for his for a day, put him on the throne and you will be saved." But the king absolutely refused to admit that he resembled the beggar. He returned to the palace and died that same evening, with the crown on his head and the scepter in his hand.

Calendar

February

«If the paths run in February, fill all the pebbles with wine and oil» In this month it can rain a lot but, if the rain is not too strong, it is preferred to ice, because it helps the plants to germinate. In this Lunation the plants begin to awaken. The fields are prepared for sowing. The cereal fields are fertilized with ammonium nitrate and the old meadows with complex fertilizers.

Orchard.
Preventive fungicide treatments are carried out for pome and stone fruit with cupric products. Pruning of the apricot and plum trees begins and, at the end of the month, that of the peach tree.

Vineyard and cellar.
Vine pruning and weeding work begin. The decanting of the wine is completed in the cellar.

Vegetable garden.
Asparagus fields, artichoke fields, broad beans and peas are cleaned and hoed. Throughout the month broad beans and peas are sown, garlic, shallots, spring onions and onions are planted. Towards the end of the month, if the weather permits, the following are sown: chard and cut beets, head cabbages, carrots, lettuces and radicchio, leeks, radishes, celery, spinach, parsley, lamb's lettuce.

Garden.
The paths are arranged with gravel, paying attention to the runoff of rainwater and the cleaning of the wells. The pruning of roses and flowering shrubs is completed. The geraniums are pruned and repotted. Spring bulbous plants such as allium, begonia, lilium are planted. Spring-summer blooms are sown in a protected place: ageratum, snapdragon, marigold, petunia, violet, etc.

Ribollita

The fundamental ingredients are black cabbage and beans (borlotti, toscanelli or cannellini).

Ribollita is a dish that derives from the typical soup of stale bread and vegetables that is traditionally prepared in some areas of Tuscany, in particular in the Pisa plain, in the area of ​​Florence and Arezzo. It is a typical "poor" dish of peasant origin, also made to taste by Pope Francis on his last visit to Florence. It is a winter dish with a semi-solid appearance. To make the soup better, the black cabbage must have "got ice", that is, it must have undergone one or more winter frosts which soften its leaves. The best thing is to "boil" the soup in the wood-fired oven, however in a pan with a good, thick bottom to prevent it from sticking and burning at the bottom. It is customary to add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and slice a fresh onion. In Tuscan cuisine there was also a summer bread soup, almost unrealized today, in which the black cabbage was replaced by potatoes, while the final appearance, decidedly more liquid, made it more similar to a minestrone.

Lifestyles

FOOD

Avoid waste and help those who are hungry

Cooking only what you can reasonably eat, as Francesco suggests, is not only a way to respect those who have less, but to create the conditions for food to enter a circle of redistribution. Every year 1,3 billion tonnes of food, a third of the food produced, is lost or wasted (FAO estimates). The majority of food waste, over 40%, occurs within the home, the rest during production or distribution. There is therefore a lot we can do to limit this waste. In Italy it is estimated that the value of food thrown away amounts to 37 billion euros, practically 450 euros per year per family. According to a Coldiretti study, if these foods were reused, 44 million people could be fed. The invitation is not only to waste less, but to do everything possible to put surpluses back into circulation and redistribute them, as Caritas or organizations such as food banks do for example.