After fresh local options fade, exotic fruits can become one of the season’s most healthful pleasures. Sure their peculiar shapes and bumpy exteriors may look otherworldly, but these far-flung imports posses refreshing new flavors that might just make them the comfort food you need for a howling winter night. Plus, most are nutritional goldmines exploding with vital nutrients – sometimes more than local fruits. So expand your gastronomic horizons and try one or more of these rising stars from around the world.

Kumquats
How they taste: Resembling a tiny orange football and native to China, the juicy kumquat flesh is very tart whereas the edible rind is fragrant and marvelously sweet.

Health perks: As a member of the citrus family, kumquats have good amounts of potassium as well as vitamin C, on par with an orange and several times more than grapes, bananas and apples. Even better, each pigmy fruit has only 13 calories.

Pick the best: Choose those that are firm, universally orange and have stems attached. Leave behind any with green skins, soft spots or blemishes. Wrapped in a plastic bag and refrigerated, kumquats should last for up to a month.

Try this: They’re great to eat in a bite or two when on the move. Or, try adding slices to your favorite muffin recipe, iced tea, yogurt or marmalades.

Uniq Fruit
How they taste: Often sold by the name ugli fruit, which is consistent with its misshapen appearance, this citrus fruit originally from Jamaica is almost hazardously juicy and tastes like a cross between grapefruit and mandarin. Further proving looks can be deceiving, its thick skin is easier to peel than most other citrus fruits.

Health perks: Lumpy and frumpy, uniq fruit is a stellar source of dietary fiber and vitamin C. According to a British study, subjects with the highest blood concentrations of vitamin C had a significantly reduced risk of suffering a stroke.

Pick the best: Look for fruit that is heavy for its size and free of overly soft spots or mold. Don’t be concerned about surface mottling, scarring, or uneven coloring. If possible, choose smaller uniq fruits, which tend to be sweeter.

Try this: Uniq fruit can be eaten out-of-hand, as an addition to fruit salads or mixed with baby spinach, roasted beets, walnuts and balsamic vinegar for a snappy side-dish.

Prickly Pear
How they taste: Sometimes labeled cactus pear as it’s gleaned from any number of cactus varieties, the fetching ruby-red or golden pulp is reminiscent of a cross between watermelon and lemon. The bumpy skin is often purplish-red but sometimes green.  

Health perks: Each fruit is brimming with magnesium – more than an orange, apple and common pear combined. A 2009 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study that included more than 64,000 people found that as magnesium intake increased, type 2 diabetes risk decreased.

Pick the best: Choose prickly pears that give slightly to palm pressure. They should have a deep, even color and be free of squishy, moldy or dark spots.

Try this: To peel, slice off both ends and cut an incision lengthwise. Slide your knife carefully under the skin and pull it off. The skin should be tossed but the seeds are edible and pleasantly crunchy. Best served chilled, add slices to yogurt, cottage cheese and cereal. Or, combine them with olive oil, red wine vinegar and honey in a blender, and whirl into a fruity vinaigrette.  

Passion Fruit
How they taste: Named because sections of the plant’s flowers resemble different parts of the Passion of Christ, passion fruit is egg-shaped with dimpled, deep-purple skin and an addictive sweet-tart jellylike golden flesh.

Health perks: These tasty gems indigenous to Brazil are rich in vitamins A and C and provide a source of potassium and iron. The soft, edible seeds are particularly chock-full of fiber. A 2008 Dutch study found that for every additional 10 grams of fiber consumed per day, subjects chances of dying from heart disease declined by 17 percent while all-cause mortality fell by 9 percent.

Pick the best: Choose heavy for their size, deeply colored passion fruit with wrinkled skin. If the skin is smooth, keep at room temperature until wrinkled.  

Try this: Simply halve the fruit and scoop out the pulp and seeds with a spoon or blend together passion fruit pulp with frozen blueberries, yogurt, milk and a dash of unsweetened cocoa powder to make a tasty smoothie.  

Guava
How they taste: The entire fragrant fruit, from the skin to the seeds, is edible. Each bite of guava is mildly sweet with a firm and crisp texture. The color of the skin can range from yellow to red to green, the flesh from pale yellow to bright red.

Health perks: Beyond impressive amounts of vitamin C and fiber (a mere cup delivers 9 grams of fiber), the pinkish-red flesh guava varieties provide lycopene – an antioxidant that may protect against several forms of cancer.

Pick the best: Try to select those that give slightly to hand pressure without any spotting or soft areas. Guavas at the grocer are often quite firm and should be ripened further at room temperature before taking a bite.

Try this: Chomp into this warm weather fruit like you would an apple. Or, slice guava in half, scoop out the seeds (setting them aside) and fill the middle with cottage cheese, the reserved seeds and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a healthy snack.