Montenegrin vegetables, straight from the field

Vegetables are where buying local pays off fastest, because everything that matters — firmness, aroma, sugar content — is a function of the time between picking and plate. Fields in the Zeta plain, Bjelopavlići and around Nikšić supply tomatoes, peppers, courgettes and cucumbers at peak season, while potatoes and cabbage from the north arrive later and keep longer.

You will find field vegetables in season here, plus preserves: ajvar, pinđur, pickles and dried peppers. Worth asking when it was picked, whether it was grown outdoors or under cover, and how it was treated — a serious grower will answer all three without hesitation.