How Many of These Super Rare Vegetables Can You Name?

Knowing how to use everything in your CSA box, down to the ramps and kohlrabi, is truly a skill—one that chef Peter Gilmore has not only perfected, but taken to the next level. The man behind the award-winning Quay restaurant in Sydney, Australia is an expert at growing (and cooking with) almost-forgotten heirloom vegetables, from the super sweet Galeux D'Eysines pumpkin (pictured below), whose peanut shell-like protrusions are caused by sugars that leach through the skin, to agretti, a veggie that looks like pine needles, tastes like salty spinach, and is prized to an almost truffle-like degree in parts of Italy.

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Gilmore's new book, From the Earth (out this week), showcases some of his favorite under-the-radar vegetables and legumes, along with corresponsing recipes (should you be lucky enough to come across Aztec broccoli or Umbrian wild peas at your local farmer's market). Take a look at some super rare foods that your great-great-great-grandparents may have eaten, below.

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Black chickpeas, also known as Ceci Neri della Murgia chickpeas, were a staple for rural families in southern Italy in the 19th century. People eventually stopped cultivating them in favor of more profitable crops like olives and grapes, but a handful of farmers still grow this nutty, rich chickpea variety.

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Likely to have originated in China, crystal apple cucumbers are considered an "iconic Australian heirloom," according to Gilmore. True to their name, they're about the size of a small apple, and are so tender they can be eaten skin and all.

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The pods that form on the asparagus pea plant, which grows in the Mediterranean region, are lined with four small frills, or "wings." This legume has a flavor somewhere between—you guessed it—asparagus and peas, and is best prepared simply (Gilmore suggests steaming the pods, then topping them with melted butter and sea salt).

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Native to southern and western Africa, the super salty ice plant is covered in large bladder cells, which give it a glistening appearance. Ice plants make a crispy, tangy addition to salads.

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The Kyoto red carrot, which is prized for its sweetness and tender texture, is often carved into the shape of a plum blossom to represent fertility during Japanese New Year.

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Originating in Ecuador, the fastigiata pin-striped peanut has an almost milky flavor similar to a green almond.

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