When it comes to produce, is your family stuck in a lettuce-tomato-onion rut? Head off to your farmers market or grocery store and take a walk! You’ll find an incredible array of inexpensive, inviting vegetables and fruit with textures and flavors that are just waiting to be discovered. Here are a few items to start your culinary walkabout. (Hint: Kids are more likely to try a new food when it’s in raw, bite-sized portions. You can also try sneaking a new veggie into a hearty stew.)

Jicama. is a big, heavy brown fruit that looks like a weird potato. The excellent thing about jicama is that it is very crisp and crunchy, but has a mild flavor like a cucumber. Jicama can be sliced and used with dips as an alternative to chips, eaten in sticks like any other crunchy veggie, or added to salads for a snappy texture. Served with a spritz of lime juice and a dusting of chili powder, it makes a snazzy side dish.

Bok choy. In Asian cuisine, bok choy is a staple. But most of us wouldn’t think of integrating it into a daily meal, and that’s too bad, given how versatile and healthy this veggie is. Chop it up and add it to a salad, or eat it by the stalk (like you would celery), dressed up with a little hummus or nut butter. You can also add it to soups or stir fries, or braise and grill it with a little seasoning for a brilliant side dish.

Pluots. This incredible, juicy little snack comes from mixing a plum with an apricot. Plums are pretty common, but not a lot of people are familiar with pluots. It’s a shame because they’re so yummy! They’re not too sweet and make an easy, inexpensive addition to a packed lunch. Look for a fruit that’s a little smaller and more yellow than a plum in the fruit section of your grocery store.

Rutabaga. Though popular in some countries around the world, this awesome root vegetable is frequently forgotten in the US. It has a bit of a punch, like a radish, so if you’re in the mood for some zing, try it raw. You can also combine it with potatoes, parsnips, and squash to make a hearty, cold-weather stew.

Nopal/cactus. If the idea of eating a cactus seems strange to you, give prickly pear cactus (also known as nopal) a whirl. It’s really good and, with positive effects on blood sugar and cholesterol, so good for you. It hits the palate like a green bean, but with an added dash of lemony tartness. Newbie nopal eaters may find the spine difficult to deal with, so I suggest buying it already cleaned. Many average grocery stores, and especially Mexican or Hispanic markets, carry cleaned nopal ready to cook. Similar in texture to a green pepper, nopal is great in dishes like scrambled tofu or really anything sautéed. Its mellow taste also makes it a nice complement to spicy dishes.

Dandelion greens. These bitter green leaves are wonderful in salads and slaws, but they can also be boiled like spinach, or sautéed and seasoned.

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Vanessa Chamberlin is a certified holistic health practitioner, lifestyle coach, and author of The Fire-Driven Life: How to Ignite the Fire of Self-Worth, Health, and Happiness with a Plant-Based Diet (Plantfire Publishing, 2015). See vanessachamberlin.com.