This cookbook is visually gorgeous. Yet, this is the gourmet cooking I probably will never try, mostly because I do not gather most of the ingredients and I do not plan to stock on them. But I plan to use some of the information and tips as an inspiration and spreading my tasting horizon to newer, less travelled places (dates, nuts and herbs, I am looking at you!).

Michelle McKenzie’s Dandelion and Quince is a great book for adventurous cooks—or for cooks aspiring to adventure who have access to a good farmers’ market. Working your way through the 150+ recipes in Dandelion and Quince will introduce you to all sorts of new flavors. Not just figs, but fig leaves. And gooseberries, nettles, sunchokes, and burdock. McKenzie’s recipes are detailed, but she also urges experimentation: learn the different flavor profiles of these new ingredients, then have fun seeing what combinations you can come up with. You’ll find many new kinds of delicious.

This book de-mystified those unknown ingredients in the produce aisle. In the past, I'd occasionally buy something and then watch it rot on the counter while I considered what to do with it. After reading this book, I'm still no master of the kitchen, but my impulse buys no longer meet the fate of that sad last persimmon. I also appreciated that the author gives complete instructions on how to store and prepare each ingredient, too. A delicious read!