Discover 10 Unique-Looking Vegetables

Watching your garden (or balcony) burst into life throughout spring and summer never fails to be one of the most joyous parts of the year. And if you get to eat the fruits of your labour (literally) in the autumn, even better!

In this article, we explore some lesser-known and truly unique fruits and vegetables you can grow in your garden this year. And trust us when we say that these are sure to amaze both the eyes and taste buds.

10 odd-looking vegetables for your garden

When the growing season comes around, many of us fantasise about getting outside and planting ourselves some lovely vegetables to tend to over the summer, and to make some wonderful meals with come harvest time. Often, we choose the same few vegetables as last year and the one before.

So, why not opt for some lesser-known, perhaps a little more astonishing vegetables to give your haul a rare sense of novelty this year? Below, we’ll list our 10 favourite distinct-looking vegetables you can grow in your very own vegetable patch!

Lemon apple cucumber

The lemon apple cucumber is a bizarre fruit that shares traits with the three fruits that make up its name. It is round and yellow like a lemon and has a subtly sweet and moreish flavour, a little bit like an apple. But why cucumber? Well, cucumber is probably the vegetable it resembles most closely—and indeed, it is a type of cucumber.

As such, it is well-suited to refreshing summer salads, or with a dip. It makes salads taste a little more interesting than standard cucumbers would (the power of novelty), and while you have some sitting in the fruit bowl, they’re sure to draw the attention of any guests you may have—at the very least you'll have something to talk about.

Lemon Apple Cucumber (Cucumis sativus) Seeds

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Yellow pear cherry tomato

These tomatoes ripen to a vibrant, almost fake-looking yellow colour. But don’t let that outer semblance fool—they are nutritious and natural, and they taste fantastic!

You can eat them by themselves or in a salad; they have a tangy, acidic flavour that brings dishes to life and enlivens the palate. To complement this acidity, they also boast high amounts of sweetness that make them truly delicious.

Yellow Pear Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds

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Romanesco broccoli

Romanesco broccoli looks about as psychedelic as a vegetable could. These incredible greens grow in a spiralling, twisting pattern that looks as if they have arisen from a fever dream or a trip on acid or shrooms. Just imagine what they look like when you're actually high!

But fortunately, this trippy beauty doesn’t just look mesmerising. You won't be surprised to hear that it tastes yummy too. It is best eaten either raw or very lightly cooked—steamed or boiled. This vegetable comes with a fresh and wholesome taste, and goes down very well on its own or as an accompaniment to other dishes and ingredients, such as fish.

Pinto bean

Pinto beans look a bit like something that could emerge from the depths of the ocean. They are white and red and display a dappled patchwork of colours that stands out from the greens of a typical vegetable garden. Certainly an exciting change!

Although they look rather strange, they’re otherwise quite similar to other legumes. They can be used for stews, or you can serve them as a side dish, perhaps with a nice dollop of butter or a vegan alternative.

Pinto Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) Seeds

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Great white beefsteak tomato

Great white beefsteak tomato may have a slightly obnoxious name—but it’s not its fault! It was bred by one of the founding fathers of the US—Thomas Jefferson to be precise—so this large, yellow tomato is steeped in history. So, why not try growing (and eating) it yourself?

These tomatoes are very meaty and very juicy, and go well in sandwiches or grilled alongside a beefsteak for meat eaters. They'll continue to produce fruit throughout the whole growing season, which is a great feature if your plan is to use them as you harvest them. But be warned; due to their size and juiciness, these plants are very thirsty, meaning they'll require a whole lot of water, again and again. Still, if you treat them well, they will reward you—be sure of that. However, make sure to bring them inside before the first frost if you want the best results.

Great White Beefsteak Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds

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Pumpkin on a stick

This specimen looks very strange, and is aptly named. In fact, whoever first named this plant was clearly feeling quite literal, as it does look like collections of small pumpkins on sticks. But they're no pumpkins!

Both the fruits and the leaves of the plant can be eaten, which makes it versatile and generous. Despite the name, these fruits are actually a sort of tomato, and belong to the nightshade family. You can eat them raw, put them in salads, sandwiches, or anything else you fancy.

We're not done yet with the names, though; this plant is so strange and attractive that many people just grow it as an ornamental plant, from which it derived another name: "ornamental eggplant".

Pumpkin on a Stick (Solanum aethiopicum) Seeds

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Indigo rose cherry tomato

This tomato plant is not just a sight to behold; its dark little treats release a mild, slightly sweet flavour topped off with a touch of acidity—perfect for snacking. The sun-facing side of the fruits of this heirloom variety ripen to a stunning purple-black, whereas the shade-facing side takes on a deep red hue. Inside, they exhibit the red hue of a normal tomato.

This colouration makes them really special, and watching them change as they approach maturity and bask in the sun is highly satisfying and quite exciting for most gardeners.

Indigo Rose Tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum) Seeds

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Fiddleheads

Fiddleheads are the earliest shoots of the ostrich fern. As they first emerge above the ground, they appear as tender and tightly coiled green spirals. If left to grow, they will open up and grow into mature ferns.

Available only in the early spring, some people choose to pluck these fiddleheads because they can be used as a very tasty and unusual addition to fresh salads. These plants are generally not grown in gardens, so you can make this an occasion to get out into the woods and crawl a bit through the undergrowth, collecting what you can later add to a wonderful meal.

Salsify blanco

Salsify is a relatively unknown root vegetable. These roots resemble sickly parsnips, but actually have the flavour of an oyster—unexpected and quite interesting!

This flavour profile makes them very unusual, and it means they can be used for rather particular culinary endeavours. As with most root vegetables, they can be cooked in many different ways, from par-boiling, to deep frying, or even turning them into a nice purée. Delicious any way!

Of all the vegetables on this list, salsify is probably the strangest in terms of flavour, and anyone who loves lesser-known and exciting foods should definitely give it a try.

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Tomatillo

The tomatillo, also called Mexican husk tomato, is related to, but distinct from, tomatoes. In fact, it’s possible that it resembles the ancestors of the tomato we know today, which is actually a uniquely human breeding invention.

Tomatillos have a tough husk that must be peeled away before use. You can eat them raw or cooked, and they have a tart sweetness to them. Most famously, they are used to make salsa verde. Despite their relation to tomatoes, they shouldn’t be substituted for these fruits when cooking, as each flavour is quite its own.

Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa) Seeds

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Strange vegetables: Get sowing!

Sowing the seeds of strange greens in your garden won’t just give you some visual novelty when you watch them grow and come to harvest them, but it will also open up new culinary worlds and inspire you to experiment once you have them in the kitchen. In fact, this is probably the most exciting aspect of growing unusual vegetables—the added strangeness of their appearance is perhaps just a bonus! Get out in your garden or to your balcony and enjoy each part of the process while soaking up some of those warming rays yourself!

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