"weird" foods, fun in the kitchen with picky eaters

I was at our local coop recently and saw "ground cherries." I had never heard of them, they were $3.99 for the bunch, locally grown. When in doubt, find the produce person. We chatted about how to eat them, flavor etc, and I brought some home. Similarly, when I saw a gorgeous purple cauliflower a few weeks ago, after a brief consult with the produce gal I was good to go.Purple cauliflower: similar in flavor to regular. Told the color will fade when cooked, so we had it with Ranch and had apricots and crackers too. It was OK. A novelty, but not something I would rush out again to buy. (Here is an old post about a romanesque cauliflower experiment.)Ground cherries: They were fun to peel. A little dusty inside so we rinsed them. They are sweet and fleshy, almost like a rose-hip, or a sweet tomato without the seeds. It reminds me of a  fruity flavor I can't pin down, something I have a vague memory of. If anyone can help me out, I would appreciate it!So, a few tips for picky eaters...Take them shopping with you. Look at all the cool and unusual foods (you could also do this at an Asian, or ethnic market, or the farmer's market.) Let them see you asking a grocer and showing your curiosity. (Be careful not to oversell any foods, kids will perceive this as pressure.) If you find a novel food, be sure to serve it with a familiar food or two so that your child won't feel pressured to try it, and can know that they will have something they can eat. Play with colors, you can draw or sketch food, or try to match with a crayon in your crayon box. (Again, only if this is fun, and your child is going along. If you get resistance, back off...) Serve it in a familiar way, i.e, we served the purple cauliflower with Ranch dip. Peeling or prep can be fun, and kids will often try something they helped prep. The peeling of the ground cherries was fun for us all! Having an idea of how it will taste (I asked the grocer who gave me some context) is helpful. Remember to always allow children (and adults!) to spit the food out if they don't like it. (Children are more likely to put something in their mouths if they know they don't have to swallow it.)  Don't pressure them to try it. Watching you try it, handling it, seeing a new food are all part of the process of learning to like a new food. Maybe bring a few out every day at a meal or snack for a few days, or until they run out! Remember, that attitude about food, and the atmosphere at the table are step one to learning to like new foods. Have fun, experiment, and see how it goes! (One word, I don't do this with really expensive items necessarily. Also, grocers will often let you taste a sample if you want to try before you buy. Can't hurt to ask!)Have you found any new foods recently?