Not every vegetable is blessed with good looks, and according to Lucy Hutchings from She Grows Veg, that's often part of the appeal. From giant roots that resemble something out of a fantasy novel to ancient heirloom crops, some of the tastiest plants in the garden could also be the ones that look the strangest. In a world of perfectly uniform supermarket produce, these wonderfully weird heirlooms celebrate diversity, history and character.
Lucy says many of these unusual varieties have been cultivated for centuries, valued for their flavour, reliability and versatility rather than their appearance. Among her favourites is the viral sensation Mangelwurzel ‘Mammoth Red’, a giant root that looks remarkably like Harry Potter's mandrakes, alongside ‘Red Toad’ beetroot, a thousand-year-old variety with rough, bark-like skin hiding deliciously tender flesh.
Some of the quirkiest crops can perform many uses depending when you harvest them. Luffa gourd can be enjoyed as a vegetable when young, then transforms into natural compostable sponges when left to mature. The Beef & Onion Edible Tree surprises gardeners with young leaves that taste uncannily like crisps, while dahlias, better known for their blowsy flowers, also produce edible tubers that can be turned into delicious rosti.
As Lucy explains, these odd-looking crops prove that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. They may be twisted, knobbly, oversized or downright bizarre, but they offer unique flavours, fascinating stories and a welcome reminder that some of the best things to grow are also the most unusual.
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#1 Mangelwurzel ‘Mammoth Red’
A viral growing sensation on social media, we are huge fans of this forgotten heirloom that looks rather like Harry Potter’s mandrakes! Halfway between sugar beet and beetroot, this easy-to-grow giant veg is delicious mashed, roasted or pickled. Sweeter and less earthy than a beetroot, it will sit for a long time in the field where it will also provide abundant greens.
#2 Beetroot ‘Red Toad’
The oldest heirloom beetroot still in existence, estimated to be 1,000 years old. Like its namesake, it has a rough skin resembling tree bark, making it hardy and great for storing. Once peeled they are as tender and delicious as you’d expect from beetroot.
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#3 Squash ‘Tromboncino’
Clearly given its name from the shape it grows into, akin to a trombone, this is a climbing squash that grows brilliantly over an arch, just mind your head! It can be eaten young and tender like a firmer courgette, or left to fully mature and store for a year or more in the right conditions.
#4 Celtuce
Sometimes called Chinese lettuce, this unusual heirloom is traditionally grown for its tender chunky stem rather than for its leaves, though both are edible. The stem can be peeled and lightly sauteed, or eaten fresh and has a delicious fresh crunch.
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#5 Gourd luffa
A wonderfully versatile heirloom gourd with two quite different uses. Picked young, it can be cooked much like a courgette; left to mature and dry on the vine, the same fruit yields a fibrous interior that can be cut into natural household sponges - a compostable alternative to the plastic kind.
#6 Beef & Onion Edible Tree
Better known as the Chinese mahogany, this deciduous, often multi-stemmed tree is grown as much for looks as for the table: salmon-red young leaves that turn green by summer, and delicate white flowers. Its real curiosity, though, is flavour; the tender young leaves taste startlingly like beef and onion crisps, and can be eaten raw, stir-fried, or dried as a seasoning.
#7 Dahlias
Few people know that the Dahlia was originally introduced as a food root crop rather than as an ornamental. Dahlias are easy and cheap to grow from seed. It makes a stunning and productive cutting flower but we also like to eat the tubers which can be made into delicious rosti. The prettiest root veg you can grow!
#8 Broccoli ‘Leaf Bastard’
An ancient Italian heirloom from Padua, grown there since the 14th century. Its memorable name reflects its origins, an old cross between broccoli and savoy cabbage, and unusually, it's cultivated for its leaves.
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Image credits: She Grows Veg
