This is my approach to exploring the market and new foods. Please feel free to tailor it to your family's needs.
With each trip to the market, my son gets to choose a new fruit or veggie to try. I allow him to take his time to look over everything so he can make an informed decision, helping him to explore his options. Once he makes his selection, I will give him the money to pay for it, letting him hand the money over to the vendor. Although he gets shy about this part, it's a good practice in independence and taking responsibility for his purchase. This may seem like a minor step in the processes, but it helps him feel ownership over his selection, making him less inclined to snub the produce later when it comes to eating it. My son can be a picky eater. But when he has taken the time to choose, buy, and prepare his fruit or veggie, he is far more willing to give it a taste. He worked hard for it!
Once we take the produce home, I then help him figure out how he wants to prepare his produce. He can either wash it and eat it raw, or we can look up a recipe to showcase his produce selection. For example: if he chose apples, he can either have a fresh apple for snack, or he can make applesauce or apple pancakes. (I suggest offering only a select number of options when it comes to recipes. Limited options will help save you a headache in the long run!) If he chooses to use his produce in a recipe, I usually have him still try a taste of the produce raw before cooking. This allows him to explore the before and after taste of the produce, seeing how much flavors can change when preparing the food in different ways. It helps him to become more familiar with the produce he has selected.
After he is done preparing his dish/snack, we will sit down to share and enjoy the food he has prepared. Again, this gives him ownership in the process of preparing his own food, and it celebrates his accomplishment of trying something new. Even if, in the end, he decides he does not like the food at all, I still applaud him for buying, preparing, and trying something new. It is something to be proud of!
