Popular foods that grow in somewhat startling ways

You think you know, but you have no idea.

By Kendra Pierre-Louis

Updated May 25, 2021 7:45 AM EDT

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pineapple in a field — Pexels

Cherries grow on trees, strawberries on vines, but how do cashews grow? Thanks to our current food system, we can get crops from almost anywhere in the world—vanilla from Madagascar, bananas from Ecuador. Of course, the downside of receiving produce from far-off lands is that we can’t exactly run into the fields to see how they’re grown. For many, the manner in which fruits and veggies emerge from the earth can be something of a mystery. Here are some of the more unexpected ways plants propagate before they make their way into our meals:

pineapple plants growing from the ground in Hawaii — Michelle via Flickr

ripe cocoa plant pods — WikiCommons

growing vanilla plant & green pods — Wikicommons

asparagus growing from the ground — Rob Ireton via Flickr

growing cashew apple & cashew nut — Flickr

growing peanut plants on a farm — University of Georgia

coffee plant & coffee berries — Tony Brooks and Coffee Management Service

artichoke plant & flower while growing — USDA and Candiru

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growing chickpea plant — WikiCommons

growing caper plant flowers — Dinesh ValkeLuc Coekaerts

growing Brussels sprout plant — Michael Arrighi via Flickr