Unless you are a farmer, a gardener, or a homesteading hobbyist, we bet you don’t have the closest relationship with your food—and we don’t blame you! After all, not all of us live in rural areas, a fact that makes identifying even the simplest of crops an awkward and often embarrassing ordeal.

Just the same, we think it’s important for everyone to get to know what fruits and veggies look like as they are growing on the farm. It’s actually quite the intriguing topic, which is why we are sharing 19 of the most mind-boggling examples with you today. We promise, these crops are nothing like the way they look on the shelves of your grocery store!

1. Brussel sprouts grow on giant stems

   Whether you love ‘em or hate ‘em, we can all agree that these stinky veggies look a whole lot different when first plucked from the ground!

2. Artichokes are beautiful flowers in disguise

   Makes us wonder what else artichokes have hiding up their sleeves!

3. Kiwis grow on vines

   Unless you are a Californian or a, well, Kiwi, we doubt you knew that the sweetest fruit around actually looks more like grapes when forming.

4. Cinnamon comes from tree bark

   Fun Fact: cinnamon trees are actually classified as evergreens and can be found almost exclusively in Sri Lanka and South India. Now you know!

5. Peanuts actually look like peanuts

   OK, we know this shouldn’t be any sort of revelation, but we think it’s amazing that they form those unique, hard shells underground!

6. Cashews could be mistaken for apples

   Believe it or not, the cashew fruit—or the “apple”—is more widely consumed than the nut itself in many parts of the world.

7. Growing capers resemble a hibiscus flower

   Yet another crop that looks like it belongs in a bouquet!

8. Cranberries are harvested from bogs

   Although not all cranberries need to be “wet harvested”, the technique allows farmers to turn out more fruit per season.

9. Pineapples grow from the bottom up

   We don’t know what we pictured a growing pineapple to look like, but it certainly wasn’t this!

10. Black pepper resembles berries

    We guarantee that these berries aren’t the type you’ll want to bite into.

11. Quinoa or red lavender?

    Either way, we’d love to take a stroll through this field!

12. Almonds form in shells

    Nope, that’s not a malformed pistachio. There’s actually an almond developing within that thick shell!

13. Pinto beans grow in pods

    Sure, we’re used to seeing peas in pods, but pinto beans? Not so much…

14. Dates grow in massive clusters

    These guys are literally the chandeliers of the plant world!

15. Eggplants are actually classified as fruit

    More specifically, berries. Mind=blown.

16. Sunflower seeds come from sunflowers

    Roll your eyes, but don’t even try to tell us that you think about actual sunflowers when you go into a gas station and buy a bag of seeds!

17. Jicama resembles a turnip

    This crunchy root sure is hard to identify in its rawest form.

18. Alfalfa sprouts can be grown in jars

    Yet another reason to stock up on mason jars!

19. Mustard

    It’s hard to believe that the pungent condiment is produced from these yellow beauties.

We’re not ashamed to admit that we were genuinely amazed when we first came across these crops! We’d like to hear what you think about this list. Were you surprised by some of these examples, as well? If so, which ones? Are there any surprising fruits or veggies that you would add to this list?