Growing your own
What to grow and when to grow it, must be two of the biggest decisions for any gourmet gardener. When deciding what to grow, you must consider the amount of space you have available, the amount of time you have to lovingly cultivate your crops then,  above all, what you like to eat and use in your cooking.  For smaller gardens, or even just window sills, herbs are a must since they do not take up much space and add to any dish. A basic list of herbs to grow would be: parsley, chives, basil, coriander, thyme, chervil, rosemary and sage. The flavours and fragrance of fresh herbs, will lift any dish and freshly picked, slow grown herbs are unsurpassable. For the grower with more space and more time, you should consider salads and legumes. There are now a large number of salad leaf varieties available to grow. From the classic roquette to hairless carrot tops, the range of colours and textures of whole head lettuce expands year on year. Salads will never be the same again and there is certainly no excuse for a dull salad. The range and variety of beans and peas continues to expand, with many varieties from around the world now easily available. Other vegetables to consider are those that are either hard to find or expensive to buy - for example,  fennel, sweet peppers and cavlo nero. For those who have the space, there is nothing to rival new potatoes straight from the ground and into the pot. If you are lucky enough to have a large garden or an allotment, then what you decide to grow comes down to the amount of time you have and your own taste.
We are now coming into Spring so you should be getting out in the garden and planting legumes, onions, potatoes, roots and salads. Then, indoors or in the greenhouse, herbs, tomatoes, peppers and aubergine.
Web sites to source high quality and unusual seed from
www.seedsofitaly.com
www.sarahraven.com
If you decide that you do not have the time or space to grow your own, or are missing that vital ingredient or you can not face another runner bean dinner,  then there are any number of farm shops around the Island that stock fresh local vegetables and meat as well as the little extras to complement your own fine produce.