Book excerpt: The best way to get fresh, tasty ingredients is to grow your own. Italians have known this for centuries, and no Italian house, apartment, school or office is complete unless it has a little bit of space in which to grow tomatoes, herbs, salad leaves and whatever else can be crammed in. From Seed to Platecovers that very Italian tradition of growing to cook, using recipes handed down from cook to cook, often through generations. Paolo Arrigo shares his family's practical traditions and 'passione' for food, guiding readers on the best varieties to grow, offering growing tips and explaining how all the resulting delicious produce should be best prepared, cooked and preserved. Including recipes from Paolo's own family, delicatessens, favourite restaurants and chefs such as Georgio Locatelli,Antony WorrallThompson, Rose Prince, Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall and many more, this is a book that persuades us to look at food in a different way - the Italian way.