Unusual fruit and veg, the weird and the not so wonderful  

Our world is so 'small' these days that even 'weird' fruits or veg aren't really 'unusual' any more ... I really did struggle to find 'unusual' fruits or veg ..

Stinging nettles .. once picked (best to wear some thick gloves) and cooked in boiling water .. this delicious 'vegetable' tastes very much like spinach .. and yes I have tried it too

Dandelion ... excellent slightly peppery flavour and a good substitute for Rocket ... I always add them to my salads .. I pick just the young sweeter leaves from the middle of the plant

Cuitlacoche (kweet-lah-KOH-chay) - Mexican Corn Truffle .. you would need to go to Mexico to get fresh Huitlacoche (alt. sp.).. but it can be bought in tins too .. it's a black fungus that grows on corn causing it to swell up to 10 times its size .. a rare delicacy .. supposedly

Cardoons .. 18 to 22 inch long, pale green to white stalks ribbed like celery .. eaten either raw as an antipasto .. or cook for 20 minutes and eat as you would an artichoke

Cherimoya .. a mouthwatering sweet .. creamy fruit organically grown in New Zealand .. combining the exotic flavours of pineapple, papaya, passionfruit, banana, mango and lemon into one luscious delight .. I'm sure I've seen this in a supermarket recently ... didn't know what it was .. but if I see it again I shall certainly be buying some ...

Crawling Pitaya .. also known as eden or dragon fruit .. a variety of warm-climate cacti fruit .. luscious red fruits ..

Jackfruit .. one of the largest fruits in the world .. can weigh up to 36kg .. vaguely like a pomegranate inside as there are around 500 seeds in a flesh like pulp .. ripe unopened fruits have a strong and unpleasant smell similar to rotting onions .. however when cut open the ripe fruit tastes and smells like a cross between a banana and pineapple