Tim Cranmore, a British recorder maker, was out at a pub with friends. They wagered that he couldn’t possibly make a working recorder out of a carrot. He accepted the challenge.
And that’s when he cooked up the idea for the London Vegetable Orchestra.
The ensemble now features not just carrot recorders, but also zucchini trumpets, butternut trombones, pumpkin drums and, occasionally, eggplant castanets.
“It’s a bizarre gig,” says lead butternut trombonist Faye Treacy. “Most people don’t believe that this is actually something I do.”