Unusual Vegetables to Grow for Adventurous Gardeners

Reader Contribution by Benedict Vanheems
Updated on December 19, 2022
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Pixabay/dimitrisvetsikas1969
Cardoon has striking thistle-like blooms, very similar to globe artichoke.

Add variety to your vegetable garden with this list of unusual vegetables to grow from around the world including cardoon, oca, and more.

1. Cardoon has striking thistle-like blooms, very similar to globe artichoke, but it’s grown for it’s huge celery-like stems which are tasty served in a gratin. Give cardoons plenty of space, sunshine, and a free-draining soil.

2. Shiso Perilla is a herby, spicy, leafy exotic often used in tempura and sushi. Stunning red-leaved varieties are available, but the green-leaved varieties are the best-flavored.

3. Oca tubers are rich in vitamin C and can be eaten raw, or cooked like potatoes.  The leaves can be eaten in moderation. Plant oca in spring for harvesting from early fall.

4. Celeriac is a nutty-tasting, hardy winter root that can be used in many ways: grated raw, boiled or braised, mashed like potato, or added to stews or soups. Celeriac is a great follow-on crop for planting once overwintering crops have been harvested.

5. Malabar Spinach is a tender perennial climber with attractive red stems and fleshy leaves that are often used in salads and stir-fries. Malabar spinach needs rich, fertile soil and full sun.

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