In the vegetable garden at Molino Vecchio, at the foot of the Teramo side of Gran Sasso, Fausto Iezzi walks along rows of tomatoes supported by cane shelters. He stops at each plant, observes it, checks it, and with his fingers removes the small shoots emerging at the axil of the leaves, between the stem and the leaf stalk<\/b>: the cacchi<\/i>, the shoots that bear no flower. It is a small yet essential gesture, necessary to preserve the plant\u2019s strength and concentrate all its energy where the fruit will grow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"