With home gardening surging in popularity, more people are cultivating their own fruits and vegetables. Yet most shoppers still pick up produce from supermarkets and markets, far removed from its natural growth stages.
Few realize the surprising forms these everyday staples take while growing. As a horticulture enthusiast with years of observing plant life cycles, I've compiled these eye-opening images showing your favorites straight from the field. Prepare to be amazed:
1. Chickpeas
2. Pineapples grow on top of the plant
3. The cocoa fruit grows on trees and takes about five years to produce
4. Peanuts grow directly under the ground
5. Kiwis grow on vines
6. Avocados hang on branches
7. Cinnamon comes from inside the bark of the cinnamon tree
8. Vanilla comes from a climbing plant of the orchid family
9. Black pepper is a climbing plant that clings to a supporting tree
10. Did you know that almonds are actually the fruit seeds of the almond tree?
11. Sesame seeds are obtained from plants that can grow up to 1 meter high
12. And here are the coffee beans
13. Here are mangoes ripening on the mango tree
14. Cashew nuts growing under cashew apples
15. Saffron, the most expensive spice in the world, growing
16. Capers grow in the buds of this flower
17. The persimmons on the trees
18. Brussels sprouts grow like this
19. Artichokes grow with a purple flower on top
20. Pistachios grow on trees
21. Cloves are flower buds picked before the flower blooms and then dried in the sun
