WTF? These Pumpkins Grow Into Jack-o’-Lanterns!
When it comes to carving pumpkins, some of us might not be seasoned pros. (And that’s why we’ve got a hack [or two] for that.) But what if we told you there was a pumpkin that literally grows into a jack-o’-lantern — no tools, no scooping, no effort needed? All you would have to do is make a visit to an organic grocer, lay down $100 and you’ll walk away with a pumpkin molded into Frankenstein’s head.
Pumpkinstein is the busy girl’s jack-o’-lantern. The mastermind behind these mini monsters is Tony Dighera of Cinagro Farms (Get it? It’s organic spelled backwards.), a sustainable produce farm located in the Santa Clara Valley in Ventura County, California. It all started when he stumbled upon a website several years ago that offered square watermelons in Japan. Dighera began to experiment with plastic molds and various watermelon species, first developing cubed watermelons and continuing until he refined the art of molding produce to create heart shaped melons. These sold for $40 a piece, but shapes were just the start. Dighera used molds to brand the fruit with grocers’ logos on them; he imprinted the iconic Whole Foods letters for their own signature produce.
After four years, 27 varieties of pumpkin and approximately $400,000, Dighera found the perfect species, mold and growing environment to bring about 5,550 monsters to life this harvest. “I started playing around and realized pretty quickly this wasn’t going to be a quick thing,” he told The New York Times. “But I also realized that if I could really figure it out, I would have something special.” All your hard work has paid off, because we are totally diggin’ it, Tony.
As far as getting your hands on a Pumpkinstein goes, you’ll have to wait until next season. Cinagro Farms sold out their entire crop in pre-orders to suppliers months ago. We can’t wait to see what other characters Tony and his crew will produce next harvest.
We want to know — would you drop $100 (or more) on a Pumpkinstein? Let us know in the comments.
