Think about it, there are a lot of things sold in the produce department that don’t look edible. for example a kiwi, star fruit or a pomegranate. Of course, we learn from others that these are indeed edible, but what about the “fruit” you see in the picture, these are found in the produce department. They have a variety of names, Hedge Balls, Osage Orange and Hedge Apples. But, don’t eat them!

They can get to the size of grapefruit, but more commonly are seen the size of an orange and they are NOT edible. They grow on trees and typically are found growing nearby on the southern border of Iowa. While there is no scientific proof, some people swear that it wards off spiders, roaches, water bugs and other annoying critters. They say if you put a hedge ball on a piece of tin foil in your problem area, they will take care of your insect or rodent problem. They last about two months and you’ll know when it’s time to change them because they will shrivel and turn brown and may even leak some fluid, thus the tin foil.

When my daughter was having issues with what we thought was spiders, many of you suggested a hedge ball. I couldn’t find them at the time, but they do have a “season”, typically you’ll find them between the months of Mid-August to November. So, I guess if you’re going to have insect problems and you want to use a hedge ball, plan accordingly, lol.

Don’t you think they should place them elsewhere in the grocery store so some adventuresome person, like myself, wouldn’t say, well, let’s buy it and give it a taste?

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