You ca n’t go awry with a tried - and - true vegetable assortment in your garden . After all , peas , carrot , lettuce , and tomato plant are the cornerstones of most people ’s diet . They ’re reliable , and most of us recognise how to cook with them .
The downside is that they can get a minute irksome after a while . Humans crave variety , and it ’s bang-up to mix things up on a regular basis . We ’ve rounded up 26 unusual vegetables for you to try growing . Some might already be familiar to you , others not , but all are delicious and deserving explore .
retard them out !
1. Fiddleheads
These are the unfurled teetotum of ostrich fern ( Matteuccia struthiopteris ) . You might not consider them to be unusual veg if you grew up in the Maritimes , but to others , they may be quite extraordinary .
These normally wild ferns can be cultivated on your property . In fact , they ’re ideal for a swampy , wet area on your land that ca n’t be used for other crops .
The tops are thin off while still tightly hand-build up , and fried in butter or oil colour with garlic and herbs . They have a dense , chewy grain and a flavor reminiscent of Asparagus officinales .
Speaking of wild greens …
2. Agretti
Have you ever total across this stuff before ? get laid as “ Saltwort ” in England , Salsola sodais a Mediterranean vegetable that looks like a hybrid between schnittlaugh and seaweed . It ’s crunchy and salty with a clue of maize and tastes like a mixture between spinach and sorrel .
Agrettithrives in coastal areas but can be cultivated in sandlike soil in most temperate and raging zones . Just check that it gets a TON of Dominicus and a luck of weewee .
3. Walking Stick Kale
Do you care dinero ? Furthermore , do you like the idea of kale plants that can grow 20 + feet tall ? And how about Brassica oleracea acephala that has a shuck that can be made into a walk stick or bo staff once dried ? Then insure out this species ( Brassica oleracea longata ) .
Its leaves are crank and luscious to eat when young and are ideal for animate being cannon fodder once mature .
4. Job’s Tears
You might not have even heard of this veggie before , but it ’s quite fascinating . Coix lacryma - jobiis a member of the grass fellowship and is quite standardised to Indian corn in its growth wont .
It ’s a recurrent grain texture that ’s been cultivated in Southeast Asia for generations . These industrial plant have been naturalized in North America for a couple of 100 now , and thrive quite jubilantly in most growing zones .
In addition to being cooked and eaten like barleycorn in soups and other smasher , the seeds are also used decoratively . They ’re particularly popular amongst the Cherokee state as jewellery , and as rosary bead in Thailand and the Philippines .
5. Kiwano
Have you try out theseAfrican horned cuke melonsbefore ? They look like they ’d jump up and assail you if threatened , but taste unbelievable . Their flesh is slightly gelatinous , tastes like a tropic banana tree - lime - citrus portmanteau word , and is delicious eaten fresh , juiced , or immobilize into desserts .
you’re able to growCucumis metuliferusin zone 9 through 11 . Just make indisputable to cater them with plenty of nutrient - rich land , as they need a lot of victuals .
6. Giant Feather Leaf Lettuce
At first coup d’oeil , you might mistake this tasty super acid ( a cultivar ofLactuca sativa ) for a dandelion . It has alike - sounding jaggy , promiscuous green leaf , but tastes like Romaine lettuce ! you’re able to harvest the youthful leaves for salad , or use the great , mature ones in stir - Christopher Fry and soups .
This varietyhails from China and is much more heat - resistant than most other lettuce . Just observe that it can also produce up to four foot tall , so you ’ll demand space to grow this mantrap .
7. Cucamelon
They see like mini Citrullus vulgaris , taste like cucumbers , and are ridiculously adorable . If you ’re naturalize a garden on a terrace or balcony and are reckon for dwarf coinage , addMelothriascabrato your tilt . As far as unusual vegetable go , these are some of the most adorable single out there .
Just be cognisant that they ’re prostrate to cucumber mosaic virus , much like other members of theCucurbitaceaefamily . If you ’ve had return with this or powdery mould , then clean your containers exhaustively and engraft them in an elevated , airy , dry location with plenty of sun .
8. Rampion
If you ’re familiar with the story of Rapunzel , then you ’ll have heard of rampion already . That ’s because “ rapunzel ” is another name for theCampanula rapunculusplant .
It was once a precious food flora in England and France , where it was civilise for both its leaves and roots . It ’s now mostly known as a wild flower , but you may easilygrow it from seedin your own garden .
The leaves are gently flavor and lovely in salads , while the solution can be cooked like Brassica rapa or parsnips .
9. Chinese Python Snake Gourd
Are you lancinating to freak out your neighbor ? Then bequeath a few of these lie in your grounds ( especially if you dwell in snake country ) .
AlthoughTrichosanthes cucumerinais a appendage of the gourd ( cucumber ) family , it tastes like a green bean and is process like such in Chinese cuisine . It ’s usually cooked alongside onions , capsicum , and bean curd , and you could also scrape out the internal build to employ as a thickening and seasoning agent in soups and sauces .
You ’ll need to trellis these plants on sturdy frames , as they get huge as they straggle outwards .
10. Moringa
If you live in a hot climate , or you have very high ceilings in your house , then view growing a moringa tree ( M. oleifera ) . This is also known as the “ drumstick ” tree diagram , and it ’s completely comestible . The leaf and bloom are absolutely packed with protein , vitamin hundred , vitamin A , potassium , and iron .
As an added fillip , herbivorous animate being such as rabbits and butt have intercourse them too , so they ’re ideal multi - purpose industrial plant .
Note that these can grow up to measure marvelous in their first class alone . I ’m growing one in my living elbow room , which has a 17 - pes ceiling . Yeah , and I postulate to keep trimming it down from the mezzanine floor or it ’ll break in through the cap . Really tasty though !
11. Achocha Fat Babies
When it come to strange vegetables , these have catch to be some of the most unique ones out there . In addition to being known as “ fat babies,”Cyclanthera brachystachyafruits are also call “ detonate cucumbers ” . Why ? For rather self - explanatory reasons : they literally break loose when good to spread out their seeds .
Harvest them when they ’re about 1/2″ in size to eat raw in salads or pickle them for later . Any larger than that and they might break loose at you .
12. Samphire (Sea Beans)
Samphiregrows angry in coastal area but can be cultivated quite easily in a greenhouse . You just need to ensure that it has the magical combining of sandy grease and heap of weewee / humidness in parliamentary law to flourish properly .
Of course , if you just happen to be golden to own seaside attribute , then you could originate it airless to the ocean as well !
This vegetable is pleasurably crunchy and piquant , and does n’t need many extra ingredients to make its flavour strike . Sautee it lightly with a bit of Allium sativum and lemon , and answer with seafood or sandwich .
13. Marina di Chioggia Pumpkin
Speaking of strange veggie that favor oceanic climate , these stunning pumpkins ( Cucurbita maxima ) were cultivate along the coast of Italy . They ’re perfectly suitable to that form of conditions and are more tolerant of drier dirt than most of their gourd cousin .
They look strange , with their teal special K , warty skin , but their flesh is perfectly delectable . It ’s thickheaded and meaty and is just as delicious sweeten in PIE as season for use in cappelletti or alimentary paste sauce .
14. Aji Charapita Hot Peppers
These trivial orange beauties look like currants and taste like electrocution , but in the unspoilt way potential . hail from Peru , aji charapita common pepper are only a quarter of an inch in diameter and are about as spicy as a cayenne or jalapeno .
Their awesomeness is n’t just in their appearance , however . They also have a fruity , citrus tree - like feeling in add-on to their heat . If you love spicy salsas and sauce , prove growing these little wonders this yr .
15. Oca
If you like potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes , regard uprise Oxalis crenata ( Oxalis tuberosa ) as well . These South American tubers are grown throughout the Andes and are almost as pop as tater throughout Bolivia and Peru .
They ’re seraphic - tangy and nutty and are as delicious roasted as they are lend to soups and stews . These plants savour coolheaded , dampish temperatures , flaxen soil , and partial shade . As a result , they ’re well suitable to property that would be inhospitable to sunchokes , sweet tater , or veritable white potato .
16. Malabar Spinach
Have you tried to grow stock spinach in a red-hot climate ? if you have , you ’ve in all probability noticed that it bolts in about 0.03 sec . I ’ve only been capable to grow it here at the tail end of autumn , and piece it early as a sister green .
In contrast , Malabar spinach ( Basella alba ) is a climbing vine that thrives in hot , humid climates . It ’s in the first place from southern , coastal India , and its leaves are very interchangeable to standard spinach . In fact , it even try similar , though it ’s a bit zesty than the species we ’re used to .
17. Yard-Long Beans
These Taiwanese beauties ( Vigna unguiculatasubsp.sesquipedalis ) can develop over three animal foot farsighted ! This makes them idealistic if you ’d like to farm a deal of nutrient in a small distance . The pod are delicious and mild - season , while the dried beans are just as tasty in soups and stews .
They thrive in gamey heating system and humidity , so they ’re idealistic for places like Louisiana and Florida as well as tropical Asian and Caribbean venue . Consider growing them up the side of a bulwark , or over trellis tunnel . They ’re quite prolific , and the long pods can be glean more easily from below .
18. Nopales
If you grew up with Mexican culinary art , then chances are you ’ve eaten nopales in various different forms . This vegetable is in reality the leaf pad ofOpuntia cacti , known as “ prickly pear ” in English . They may be unusual vegetables to you , but they have been a staple food for Indigenous mass for thousands of year .
Just like all other cactus metal money , nopales need wry , sandy , well - drain soil , and a ton of heat and sunlight to thrive . They ’ll do well as long as you ’re in a dry neighborhood in zones 8 through 11 . We maturate them in California , and they also prosper in New Mexico , Arizona , and Texas , as well as most of Mexico and northerly South American countries .
19. Romanesco
If you ’re bully on stress out strange vegetables , this brassica looks like something that was spell here from another planet . Romanescoflorets are set in fascinating - looking spiral forward motion that would inspire any mathematician , and they taste like a hybridisation between broccoli and cauliflower .
20. Kohlrabi
I once said that this vegetable sounds like something you ’d wail in Klingon , and I hold to that . The first time I saw it in a CSA box , I had no idea what it was nor what to do with it . Butkohlrabi , from the brassica group , is quite various .
21. Shiso
This tasty member of the mint family is develop throughout Asia as a condiment as well as a vegetable . It can be add to soups and broth , used in teatime , mixed into stir - tike , or undulate up into sushi .
Shisoleaves are used fresh as well as dry out , and can also be pickle for late use . Both leaves and seeds taste like a cross between mint and anise Hyssopus officinalis .
Note : while strange vegetables are expectant for mix affair up , do research before planting . Shiso can be toxic to livestock such as cattle and rabbit , so be careful if and when you cultivate it .
22. Chayote
If you ’re in a tropical or sub - tropic region , consider growingchayote . These small greenish vegetables look like pears but are actually gourd vine related to cucumbers and zucchini . In fact , you may cook them much like you would a zucchini , namely by sauteeing or rib .
you’re able to sprout chayote from fruits that you notice at your local South American food market . Just note that they require very compost - plentiful territory , as they ’re heavy feeders .
23. Lotus Root
If you ’ve never taste lotus root before , do a quick search on UberEats and cure that as shortly as potential . The root ofNelumbo nuciferaplants are crunchy and nutty , and can be get up in numberless dissimilar ways . It ’s a fat - barren , carb - rich veggie that has a downhearted glycemic index , and ideal for wet areas that would otherwise be unusable .
Do you have a pond on your property ? Or a water bbl garden ? Then you’re able to easy cultivate this luscious plant in your own cubic yard . Also ? Bonus points for beautiful flowers that you could also use for perfume .
24. Miner’s Lettuce
Isn’tClaytonia perfoliatapretty ? With its bright green , scale - same leafage and delicate flower , this pleasant-tasting one-year flavor more like a border flora than a veg . But it ’s been cultivated as a food flora for century and thrives in zones 3 through 11 . I ’ve grown it near Sacramento as well as here in Quebec , and it practically prosper on neglect .
Additionally , this plant grow in almost any soil and does best in dappled sun / fond shade . This makes it large for woodland inch or shaded spots behind / beneath taller nutrient harvest . Use it as a companion plant life around beans and peas to take advantage of their nitrogen - fix abilities .
25. Bitter Apple
This gourd ( Citrullus colocynthis ) is also known as “ bitter cucumber ” and “ desert gourd ” . It ’s native to many Mediterranean , African , and Middle Eastern country , where it has been civilise for G of year .
While the flesh is too bitter and unpalatable to corrode , it has a wide variety of medicative property . In price of edibleness , it has tasty seeds that have been put to good role by many different cultures . The Bedouin people cranch them up into lucre flour , while many West African peoples apply them to thicken and flavoregusisoup .
( If you ’d like to try makingegusisoup at home but ca n’t get bitter gourd seeds , you could habituate pumpkin or squash ejaculate rather . )
26. Winged Asparagus Pea
Asparagus pea ( Psophocarpus tetragonolobus ) , also called “ winged noggin ” , are some of the coolest , most unusual vegetables I ’ve ever seen . They hail from Southeast Asia , and every single part of the plant is eatable !
Their seedpod prompt me of honey locust crossed with a hedgehog , and the bean plant inside resemble black - eyed peas . The heyday are piquant , the leaves savor like spinach , the Tuber have a turnip - like sapidity , and the legumes themselves are yummy too .
These works are low - growing and call for to be stand so their pods do n’t slop all over the ground . They ’ll behave like perennials in tropic climate , but can be cultivated as annuals elsewhere .
What do you think of the strange vegetable on this list ? Have you already tried some of them ? Or will they all be new culinary adventures for you ? Hopefully at least a few of them have piqued your interestingness !
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