10 Unusual Fruits and Vegetables That You Need to Eat Right Now

Also known as carambola, star fruit is full of vitamin C and antioxidants. Eat some star fruit when you feel a cold coming on. When this fruit is still on the tree, it looks like a hanging lantern, but slice into it, and you’ll see its distinctive star shape.

Eat it raw or try this inventive Star Fruit Soup recipe.

This fruit has a fantastic name and a lot of vitamin C. Stored in special alcoves called tokonoma, this bright yellow fruit brings good luck to Japanese homes. Some cooks candy them, and others use their zest in lieu of lemon zest.

Pomelo fruit is essentially a grapefruit on steroids. The pomelo’s health benefits include its ability to boost the immune system, improve digestion, lower blood pressure, and reduce cramping.

Use pomelo in a marinade or juice, but I’m aching to try this recipe for Pomelo Couscous.

You might want to take a few photos for Instagram before cutting into a dragon fruit. That’s because of its brilliant pink outside layer that has green “flames” popping out. Once you cut into it, you’ll find a fruit that has a texture similar to kiwi.

Enjoy dragon fruit cut up in chunks on top of your breakfast yogurt, or (later in the day) try this martini recipe.

The cherimoya is one of the best unusual fruits and vegetables. Cherimoya is known as “the most delicious fruit known to man,” according to Mark Twain. Also known as custard apples, these green, heart-shaped fruits taste akin to banana, pineapple, and strawberry.

Eat the cherimoya peeled, add it to a smoothie, or put it in a salad. Or try this recipe for adding cherimoya to a smoothie and salad.

After the first bite of a kohlrabi, you’ll fall in love. Peel off its skin, and you’ll find that its crisp, mild flavor makes it a great addition to salads. Did you know that you can also eat the kohlrabi’s leaves? Mix them into a salad or add them to a stir-fry. Like spinach and collard greens, they’re very nutritious.

(a.k.a. Roman cauliflower) Also known as Roman cauliflower, this vegetable looks like a chartreuse fractal. This oddball is rich in vitamins C and K, dietary fiber, and carotenoids. Prepare it by roasting bite-size pieces in a 425 F oven for ten minutes. You can also blanch or saute it just as you would any type of broccoli. It can turn a run-of-the-mill pasta dish into something truly memorable.

Ramps are one of the best unusual fruits and vegetables. They look like smaller, more delicate scallions, but their taste packs more punch than a scallion. Nutritionally, there’s a lot to love about them as they’re high in vitamins A and C, iron, and calcium. Grill them, or add them to a quesadilla or risotto. One major drawback to ramps is that because they’re trendy, you’ll pay more for them than other vegetables.

Jicamas are large, round root vegetables. To prepare it, you first have to peel the tough outer skin. Inside, you’ll find crisp white flesh, which you can eat raw or add to a salad. Try this recipe for Veggie Slaw with jicama.

And the best for last are fiddlehead ferns. They’re about the size of a half-dollar coin and look like the top of an elaborate fiddle (hence the name). High in both vitamins A and C, they’re very nutritious. They’re quite bitter, so saute them with some garlic and butter or deep fry them.

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