A Taste of the Unexpected

I have come in from the absolutely adorable, warm, winter sunshine and a delicious coffee to tell you about something. The postie arrived a few moments ago and I thought I'd read the introduction to the new book I am selling, which he was delivering, while I had my coffee on the verandah. The author, Mark Diacono believes life is too short to grow unremarkable food...and he makes growing your own into a rather swashbuckling and delicious adventure to ensure that the food that you grow is done so as to give those who eat it great pleasure, not just a meal.

I had tears in my eyes when I read the forward and the introduction! I am in heaven... this is my kind of book, written by my kind of bloke, in wonderful words and pictures, to inspire a passionate approach to food growing and eating. Forget abundance, go for flavour.

"This is a food book; it just happens to start its journey in the in the garden rather than the kitchen... and once you start growing fine food, you'll very quickly find that it becomes something you do rather than simply what you eat, and that life becomes quietly, immeasurably, sweeter."

Amen!

He suggests growing and eating Szechuan pepper, lovage, day lilly flowers, cardoons, shungiku, Egyptian walking onions, oca etc etc. I have grown all these except the Szechuan pepper and do thoroughly recommend them too.

A Taste of the Unexpected by Mark Diacono.... now available at The Garden Shed and Pantry by email order, for $35 including postage in Australia.... or from the Cygnet market this Sunday, 10 - 2, for the same price.