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Five vegetables with unusual shapes, parts, or names
| Vegetable | What makes it unusual | Flavor or use | Home-growing information |
|---|---|---|---|
| Romanesco | Its pale-green head is formed from cone-shaped florets arranged in spirals. | Mild, often described as nutty and slightly spicy; eat raw or cooked. | Can be grown much like broccoli or cauliflower; heads generally mature 75–100 days after transplanting. |
| Kohlrabi | The round edible part is an enlarged stem above the soil, not a root. | Crisp and mild, with a flavor like a sweet broccoli stem or turnip; eat raw or cook it. | A cool-season crop; harvest young before the tissue becomes tough and fibrous. |
| Cucamelon | A fast-growing vine produces small fruits that look like miniature watermelons. | Not stated in the available Penn State Extension excerpt. | The vines need support, according to Penn State Extension’s search-result excerpt. |
| Salsify | It is grown for a long, slender, white edible root; young shoots and leaves can also be eaten. | Its faint oyster-like flavor explains the name “oyster plant.” | Texas A&M AgriLife recommends sowing in early spring and harvesting after the first hard fall freeze; over-mature roots may become woody. |
| Celeriac | USDA includes it among vegetables commonly considered specialty crops. | Not established by the USDA classification source. | Not established by the USDA classification source. |
What makes each one worth trying
Romanesco: a spiral-patterned relative of cauliflower
Romanesco is an uncommon cultivar of Brassica oleracea, also called Roman cauliflower or Romanesco broccoli. Its light-green head is made of cone-shaped florets in a spiral pattern. The University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension says it dates to the 16th century and was once grown around Rome. It can be prepared raw or cooked, much like broccoli or cauliflower; the same source distinguishes it from “broccoflower,” which refers to green-colored cauliflower. University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension’s Romanesco guide.
Kohlrabi: the “bulb” is a stem
Kohlrabi’s swollen, bulb-shaped stem grows above the soil, which makes its familiar round form easy to mistake for a root. The young leaves are edible, too. Peel the stem to get to its crisp flesh, then eat it raw or use it in cooked dishes. The University of Kentucky Extension describes its flavor as like a mild, sweet broccoli stem or turnip; University of Florida IFAS advises harvesting young, before the flesh becomes tough and fibrous. University of Kentucky Extension’s kohlrabi publication and University of Florida IFAS Extension’s kohlrabi guide.
Cucamelon: a miniature watermelon look-alike
Cucamelon (Melothria scabra) is also known as Mexican sour gherkin or mouse melon. Penn State Extension describes it as a fast-growing vine with small fruits resembling miniature watermelons and notes that the vines need support. The available excerpt does not establish more about its flavor or preparation. Penn State Extension’s unusual-vegetables guide.
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Salsify: the oyster-named root
Salsify is cultivated for its long, slender, white root, though young shoots and leaves are edible as well. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension calls it “oyster plant” for its faint oyster-like flavor. Its regional planting advice is to sow in early spring and harvest after the first hard fall freeze; roots left too long can become tough and woody. Planting dates vary by location, so treat those timings as Texas A&M’s guidance rather than a universal calendar. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension’s specialty-crops guide.
Celeriac: on the specialty-crop list
Celeriac qualifies here as a less familiar vegetable included in the USDA’s specialty-crop list. That classification alone does not establish its appearance, flavor, cooking uses, or growing requirements. USDA’s list also includes more familiar vegetables alongside less familiar ones such as kohlrabi and salsify, underscoring that “specialty” is a classification rather than a synonym for unknown. USDA’s specialty-crop definition and list.
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The strongest source-backed home-growing details here are for Romanesco, kohlrabi, and salsify. Romanesco can be grown like broccoli or cauliflower, and its heads generally take 75–100 days after transplanting. Kohlrabi is a cool-season annual cole crop related to broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts; its harvest timing matters because older tissue becomes fibrous. Texas A&M’s salsify advice gives a seasonal sowing and harvest window, but local climate affects when that guidance fits. Cucamelon’s source excerpt confirms that its vine needs support, but does not provide further growing instructions. The cited USDA material classifies celeriac but does not provide crop-specific growing guidance.
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