Re: Drying Gourds
- To:
- Subject: Re: Drying Gourds
- From: L* S*
- Date: Sat, 9 Jan 1999 09:25:57 -0500
-----Original Message-----
From: Welty <ldnwelty@raex.com>
To: pumpkins@mallorn.com <pumpkins@mallorn.com>
Date: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 9:25 PM
Subject: Re: Drying Gourds
>Thanks to all who have given ideas, I have been experimenting with several
>dozen gourds I grew this past year. I became frustrated with the mold and
>sprayed the gourds with 75% bleach solution. No mold has continued, but
temp
>has been below freezing. I put the gourds in a grain bin and turned the
fan
>on. I have a question concerning removing the skin. Do you have to remove
>the skin, when is the best time to remove it? Thanks for your help.
>
>Nic Welty
>
>
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Hi, Nic!
I have grown several types of gourds the past few years, and have a few
opinions on care, drying, etc. The first year I drilled holes in them, but
have found since that this is not necessary, they dry fine without them. I
have taken mine to the garage to dry, but found out by accident this fall
(dad was in hospital, didn't get them to the garage) they do dry fine when
left in the straw laying by the garden.
My luffa gourds ended up dried and skinless by themselves laying out there,
also: before, I would soak them in a crock of salt water and scrub and
squeeze and scrub and squeeze some more to remove the skin, seeds and pulp.
This was a nice surprise!
Next, the mold that forms is a natural thing and it lends itself to some
very interesting patterns on the final shell. The molded skin comes off
very easily when dipped in a 5 gallon bucket of warm, soapy water then
scrubbed lightly with a nylon kitchen scrubber used to clean pots and pans.
I have found that each gourd only takes less than 5 minutes to clean. I
then let them set overnight to be sure they are dry.
I then apply 2 or 3 coats of a clear polyurethane. This not only protects
them from the elements, but gives them a shiny appearance.
Hope this helps!
Lisa Shumaker
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