Apple Gourds

A couple of weeks ago I found some boxes of dried gourds out in the garage.  I can't remember when we grew them, but it has been several years ago.  So, one thing is certain, they last a long time once they are dried.  Unfortunately, rats or mice had gnawed into some of them to get the seeds.  But, I was able to salvage these.

There are several kinds in the box, but most of them are Apple Gourds.  You can see how they very much resemble an apple in shape.  In fact, some folks (who are more artistic than I) make decorative items by painting them to look like apples.

Gourds have an outer coat that molds while they are drying.  Once dried, they have a dull, mottled appearance like the one above.  This coat has to be removed before a gourd can be painted.  Here's a picture to compare what they look like before and after the coat is removed.

The patterns on the gourd caused by the mold can be quite beautiful.  So, rather than painting them, I just leave them as is and enjoy the natural beauty of the gourd.  Here's how I remove the outer coat.

First, the gourds have to be soaked in water to soften that outer coat.  To do this, I use a 5-gallon bucket.  Two gourds will fit in a bucket.  The problem is ..... they float!

So, I have to weight them down to keep them submerged.  I use a large clay flower pot for this purpose.

Once the outer coat is softened, it can be removed easily.  I use a small kitchen knife and just scrape it off.  Here is a gourd that has been partially scrapped.

After scraping, I allow the gourd to dry thoroughly.  All kinds of things can be made from these gourds.  They are great for birdhouses and bowls.

Incidentally, this is what these apple gourds looked like when they were green.

They are quite heavy, as well, but very light when dry.  They grow on vines that get to be several feet in length.  Here's a blog entry I wrote in 2012 about some birdhouse gourds we grew.  It shows how long the vines get:  Birdhouse Gourds

We are not growing gourds this year.  We just don't have enough room.  However, for now, I have these nice Apple Gourds to work on and maybe next year we'll find room to grow some more.