Heart-Shaped Cucumbers Make Salads More Lovely

Anyone recall those square melons from Yamagata prefecture in Japan of a few years back? There was a purpose for their shape as it made them easier to transport them to local markets.

What about heart-shaped cucumbers? Have you ever heard of them? These novelty nutritious salad components have nothing to do with practicality and fall deeply into the category of sheer and much needed whimsy.

Novelty heart-shaped cucumber molds are the perfect gift for the gardener who up to now was convinced that he or she had everything. The cucumbers grown in these molds come out perfect every time and make a wonderful mental launching pad for salad and appetizer ideas heretofore unimagined.

These cucumbers represent the cumulative efforts of an agricultural coop determined to make food preparation a little bit more exciting. Comprised of nine women in Chiba, a suburb of Tokyo, this grass roots organization cleverly uses plastic molds affixed to the stem of the plant, with which they can create heart and star shapes when the cucumber is sliced cross-wise.

These romantic cucumbers are selling at fancy supermarkets in Tokyo and as specially ordered wedding gifts at ceremonies throughout Japan. They cost 300 yen each (about $2.50).

If you decide to buy one of these cucumber molds, don’t put it off for Valentine’s Day, for not only is that a long way off, it is also not necessary to wait for a special occasion to express your love for your “cucumber mate,” whoever he or she might be.

Why not plan today for a romantic salad for you and your love tomorrow?

Some may argue that these cucumbers are not really heart-shaped, but when the cucumber is cut into slices a heart-like shape always takes hold.

If and when these novelty cucumbers make their way into popular culture, their new mantra may well be:

(Link)

By MDeeDubroff on 24-08-2009