How to Grow Buddha Shaped Pears

Pears shaped like a serenely smiling Buddha began with one Chinese grower and are becoming very popular with fans of fresh fruit. Similar in form to the face-shaped eggplants and other vegetables seen in recent years, the Buddha pears are the result of special growing conditions and treatment. Although it may look complicated, growing your own Buddha-shaped pears is a very straightforward process.

Buddha vegetable molds
Phillips-head screwdriver

Instructions

- 1
  Fertilize the pear tree as normal in the spring. Observe the pears on your tree to gauge when to apply the molds. Wait until the pears are about 1 inch across.
- 2
  Open the molds by undoing the screws or fasteners around the outside. The fasteners will come out, leaving two halves of each mold.
- 3
  Place the two halves of a mold around each baby pear. The mold will encase the pear with the stem jutting out through the tube-like opening in the top. Hold the two mold pieces together.
- 4
  Insert the screws or fasteners into the holes around the outside of the mold. Tighten them until the outer edges of the mold touch, creating a solid shape in which the pear will grow.
- 5
  Observe the pears each week to watch them grow and fill out the shape inside the mold. When the pears have completely filled the molds, undo the fasteners and remove the mold halves. Allow the pears to ripen in the normal way. The fruit will retain the Buddha shape until it's ready to be picked.

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