There are so many vegetables besides the normal tomatoes and peppers that you can grow in your garden, so why not try to grow something new? There are such a large variety of unique vegetables that would make a great addition to your garden.
Many of these unique vegetables are more difficult to find at your local grocery store. Which is why, deciding to grow new vegetables allows you to try unfamiliar foods, and can allow you to expand outside of your gardening comfort zone.
Here are 6 unique vegetables that will spice up your vegetable garden.
1. Cucamelon:
This vegetable is also known as a mousemelon, they look like small watermelons but the taste resembles more like a cucumber. The cucamelon vines can grow up to 10 feet long and can produce hundreds of fruit per plant. Cucamelons have similar needs to that of a cucumber, and they need lots of sun and warm weather. However, they are more cold resistant and pest resistant than your average cucumber.
2. Yard-long beans:
These beans get their name because each bean can grow up to 2 feet long and can grow inches per day. They are also very popular in Asian cooking, usually the best way to cook these beans is sautéed or stir-fried, as they don’t taste the best boiled. Their taste somewhat resembles green beans, but long beans have a more distinctive flavor. Yard-long beans grow as a climbing plant and you will see beans produced all season long.
3. Romanesco:
This vegetable’s flavor resembles a broccoli or cauliflower, even its growing conditions are very similar to these vegetables. The romanesco has a very beautiful swirling pattern that makes it more unique than your average broccoli. This vegetable will not be found at your local grocery store, but just the beautiful pattern on the vegetable will make you not want to go back to regular broccoli.
4. Tomatillo:
Tomatillos are very common in Central American foods, it can be eaten raw or cooked, it is most well known in salsa verde. The tomatillo grows in an edible papery husk, and they need cross pollination. This is to ensure a good yield, if you plant at least two crops.
5. Celeriac:
It tastes similar to celery but it has more of a nutty flavor. This vegetable is best harvested when the swollen roots are around 4 inches. There are many ways to eat this vegetable as it can be eaten raw or cooked.
6. Kohlrabi:
This purple or green alien looking vegetable will definitely add some uniqueness to your garden. It belongs to the cabbage family however, it can be used in similar ways to a turnip. This vegetable prefers cooler temperatures and it is best to grow them near the end of the summer. They should be harvested right before they reach the size of a tennis ball, and they have a sweet, mild flavor to them.
