Germana, the local shepherdess, offers a sample of her piquant pecorino cheese Menu planning in Tuscany starts with the freshest, in-season produce

As a culinary herbalist and instructor, Deborah Whittaker of Denver, CO, has taught thousands of students how easy it is to create fabulous meals bursting with the flavors of tree-ripened fruits, organic and heirloom produce, edible flowers, wild foods and, of course, herbs. Her focus in this Abbondanza Toscana program will be to show you how to recreate the tastes of Tuscany back home in your own kitchen in a sustainable manner. A health and wellness counselor as well as a garden writer, Deborah will focus on using great food as a vehicle to a long, robust lifestyle.

Deborah's clients include Denver Botanic Gardens, Herb Companion, Herbs for Health and Herb society of America. You can view some of her articles under "Cooking and Gardening" at www.frontrangeliving.com and under "Cooking & Decorating with Violets/Viola Chef" at www.americanvioletsociety.org.

Workshop Highlights Include:

Ease into your day with the traditional cappuccino, followed by a guided stretching session or a morning stroll through the lushly forested property surrounding Selva, your home for the week.

Start on your culinary adventure of the day, gathering only the finest, freshest ingredients and visiting with the local purveyers along the way. You'll shop for in-season produce at the local markets where "heirloom" is not a unique designation but the standard. One morning you'll visit the local shepherdess and watch her make fresh ricotta and pecorino cheese from the morning's milking while her spring lambs graze nearby. Another day you'll travel west to the sea and visit with the fishermen who will help you make a selection for dinner from their fresh catch hauled ashore only hours earlier. And another day you'll head to the Garfagnana Nature Preserve to trek the mountains where Michelangelo selected marble for his masterpieces. You'll have lunch nearby at an award-winning osteria to visit with Chef Andre, a major proponent of Slow Food and locally sourced produce and wine.

You'll delight in working with Abbondanza Toscana's resident Chef Emanuela Dini in hands-on classes to learn how to prepare local Tuscan dishes. She'll share recipes handed down in her family for generations. Deborah will provide tips and resources for preparing the same foods at home with local resources and will share some of her own recipes richly based on fresh herbs and garlic.

You'll be a guest at a private tasting of Tuscan wines in 15th century caves below the city of Lucca. Incredible shopping and dining are also part of your Lucca tour as well as walking or biking the Renaissance walls that surround the city. One evening you'll have an opportunity to attend a Puccini concert in a Romanesque church or to visit a fall festival and practice your language skills with the locals!