5 Unusual Fruits and Vegetables Worth Trying

Summer is the easiest time to stumble onto something you've never cooked with before — a CSA box, a farmer's market table, or even the regular grocery store all tend to have more variety and better prices this time of year. It's worth grabbing something unfamiliar while it's around, especially since freeze-drying means you're not on the clock to use it up right away.

1. Fava Beans

Also called broad beans, fava beans stand out for sheer size — pods can run up to 30 centimeters long, each holding five or six large beans. They're good steamed or raw, and pair especially well with pecorino cheese.

2. Dragon Fruit

Dragon fruit looks unusual on the outside but has juicy, mild flesh with a slight tang, a bit like kiwi. The easiest way to eat it is to just scoop the inside out with a spoon. It's best used within a few days of buying it, since it doesn't keep as long as sturdier fruit.

3. Jicama

Pronounced "hick-a-ma," jicama is actually part of the legume family, with a crunchy texture closer to radish but a much milder flavor. It works well in salsa, ceviche, salads, or as a crunchy sandwich filling.

4. Watermelon Radish

The name comes from its color, not its flavor — it still tastes like a radish, with a peppery crunch. Try it grated, rolled into a basil leaf with a slice of grapefruit, and finished with cayenne pepper and olive oil for something a little different than a typical radish preparation.

5. Tomatillos

Small, green, and wrapped in a papery husk, tomatillos are about the size of a ping-pong ball. Grilled and blended with garlic, jalapeños, onion, and cilantro, they make a genuinely good green salsa.

More Ways to Explore Unfamiliar Produce

If a CSA box is where you're finding produce like this, benefits of joining a CSA covers what to expect. Stray vegetables welcome here and 5 most popular foods to forage are both good next reads if you like the idea of trying things outside the usual grocery rotation.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is jicama and how do you eat it?
Jicama is a crunchy, mildly-flavored root vegetable in the legume family — good in salsa, ceviche, salads, or as a crunchy sandwich filling.

How do you eat dragon fruit?
Scoop the juicy, mildly sweet-tart flesh out with a spoon — it's best eaten within a few days of purchase, since it doesn't keep as long as sturdier fruit.

What's the difference between watermelon radish and regular radish?
Mainly the color — watermelon radish has a distinctive pink interior, but the flavor is a similar peppery crunch to a regular radish.

What can you make with tomatillos?
Grilled and blended with garlic, jalapeños, onion, and cilantro, tomatillos make a classic green salsa.