But it wasn't until we accepted a dinner invitation from our friend Eliza — a master naturalist who grows all of her own food — that we realized just how amazing organic eating could really be.

As Eliza gave us a tour of her garden, Susan and I spotted these odd little husked fruits called ground cherries under a small shrub. Once we tasted them we were blown away by their delicious, pineapple-citrus flavor.

That's when Eliza told us about the secret world of wacky and unusual heirloom foods most people don't know about — unless you grow them yourself.

The makings of our own 'food forest'

When we bought a house the following year on a three-quarter-acre lot in Greenville, South Carolina, Susan was excited to try our hand at gardening, just like Eliza.