Jujube

I highly recommend buying strange produce that you've never seen before and can barely pronounce. I was in college before I'd ever tried a mango, a plantain, or even an avocado. Not that I buy any of these things regularly--though avocados are as common as apples in my region--but the joy of culinary exploration reminds me how large the world is and how little I know of it.

At our local farmer's market last week, I splurged on a four-dollar bag of wrinkled, dried dates. My kids are probably the only ones on the block who think jujubes are a fruit and only come in one color. I'm ok with that. They have plenty of time to venture out and taste the gummy candy jujubes later in life. Maybe in college.