To say that I've become (really) excited about gourds this year would probably be a bit of an understatement. Actually, I think I might be rather obsessed with them. Seriously, I might have a problem (lol!) ... I've been spending a lot of time thinking about them and dreaming of what I can make with them. How weird is that?
As you probably know, this was the first year we tried growing gourds and I think we were pretty successful. From the small, mixed hard shell gourd seeds I planted, I think I harvested about 35 gourds -- they appear to be mostly bottle gourds (of all shapes and sizes) and a few dipper gourds too. So far I haven't lost any of these gourds to rot.
So, my giant african gourds are still in the garden and haven't been harvested yet (I'll be sure to post about those monsters later!), but many of the other mixed hard shell varieties I grew this year have already been harvested and are either already completely dried or well on their way to being dried and ready to use. Of course, there are still a few green ones too and a few in just about every stage between.
My husband wants us to make "useful things" out of them (bowls, cups, wine flasks, kegs, ladles, etc.) and, while I think that would be just fine, I would also like to make pieces of fine art from them. I see the potential in each gourd and have a strong desire to carve them, burn them, dye and paint them until they are simply beautiful pieces of art worthy of display.
Drying Gourds
As hard shell gourds dry out, the moisture inside the gourd slowly escapes through the shell and the stem. Eventually, the insides of the gourd will be completely dry and the outer shell will also become very hard and dry.
As gourds go through the process of drying the outer shells can become rather moldy. This is normal and you don't need to do anything about it until the gourd has completely dried. At that point, depending on what you want to do with the gourd, you'll probably want to clean the gourd. Of course, you don't "have" to do anything about it at all ... the patterns and markings that the mold make on the gourds can be rather beautiful and can make each gourd even more unique.
Just look at how beautiful the mold is on some of my drying gourds....
Join the Conversation!