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October 2, 2010
by F&F
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…Mark Diacono’s beautiful new book, A Taste of the Unexpected. This book is so utterly beautiful and inspiring, yet so utterly practical and sensible. That’s a rare thing in a gardening book: they’re either packed with beautiful floaty images and a bit low on the advice, or printed in black-and-white with ‘practical’ line drawings. But A Taste of the Unexpected manages to do both, and this is made all the more impressive by the fact that Mark is introducing readers to plants they have never even heard of, and haven’t got a clue how to care for.

Accompanied by his own masterful photography (really, is there nothing Mark Diacono can’t do well?), the author guides us through unusual fruits, herbs, nuts and spices which grow beautifully in this country and which you just can’t buy (or at least can’t afford to buy) in the shops. This is a beautifully written, witty and inspiring book.

One of the many lovely touches about A Taste of the Unexpected is the way it teaches you not just to grow these unusual crops, but also how to eat them too. The recipes are beautifully presented and detailed, and look utterly mouthwatering. This isn’t just a book for the gardener who thinks they’ve grown everything: it’s a book for the foodie who thinks they’ve tasted everything.

Like most people who have been thumbing through this book, I’ve started making a list of all the unusual fruit and veg I now want to grow in my next garden:

Mulberries
Peaches
Quinces
Blue honeysuckle
Chilean Guava
Japanese wineberry
Jerusalem artichokes

Have you read A Taste of the Unexpected yet? What did you think? And what are you inspired to grow?

One Response to F&F loves…

  1. October 3, 2010 8:25 am

    Isn’t this book the best?! I’ve been unable to put it down, taking it with me whenever I have two minutes to sit down and read. So far I have apricots, wineberries and blue honeysuckle on the list, with lots more to add I’m sure. So glad this has been thoughtfully published in the autumn with time to incorporate the ideas into next year’s planting.

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