Growing Freaky Fruit: The Art of Shaping Vegetables

As pickling enthusiasts, we’re always on the lookout for innovative ways to add some excitement to our gardens. Imagine growing cucumbers in the shape of a pickle or squash in the form of a smiling face. Sounds like a fantasy, right? Well, it’s not! Thanks to the ingenuity of Richard Tweddell III, a toy designer and gardening enthusiast from Cincinnati, Ohio, we can now grow freaky fruit in the shape of people’s faces.

VegiForms: The Secret to Growing Shaped Vegetables

In 1987, Tweddell patented a method to grow squash, cucumbers, and other fruits in the shape of faces and objects using clear two-piece plastic molds called VegiForms. The process is simple: secure the mold over a vigorously growing fruit or vegetable while it’s still on the vine, and in about a week, the vegetable grows to fill the mold, permanently taking the shape of the mold.

Pickle Pusses: One of the Five Basic Shapes

The molds came in five basic shapes: the Garden Elf, the Pickle Pusses, and Ear of Corn; and, for the gourmet gardener, the Heart and Diamond, which yield heart and diamond-shaped slices when cut. Although VegiForms were featured in People magazine and on television, they never really took off. Tweddell, who later worked as an engineer at Procter & Gamble, passed away in 2018 at the age of 66.

Get Creative with Your Gardening

Growing freaky fruit is not only a fun way to add some personality to your garden, but it’s also a great way to get creative with your pickling. Imagine serving up a plate of pickle slices in the shape of a smiling face or a heart-shaped cucumber slice. It’s a great way to add some whimsy to your pickling routine.

So, the next time you’re planning your garden, consider giving VegiForms a try. Who knows, you might just start a new trend in the world of pickling!