Dried Gourds
Gourds are plants that belong to the family Cucurbitaceae and most of these plants are natives to Africa. They are considered as one of the oldest plants domesticated by humans. The term, 'gourd' commonly refers to these plants, their fruits and also the dried fruits. Humans have been using these plants for various purposes, since time immemorial. Apart from using the fruits of some gourds as vegetables, dried gourds have been used to make utensils, birdhouses, musical instruments and as an art medium. In short, gourd art has been popular for a very long time and even today, dried gourds are very much in demand. You can either buy them or else dry fresh gourds.
Dried Gourd Art
As mentioned above, gourd art and craft have been in vogue for a very long time. Initially, the hollow shells of dried gourds were used for making vessels like bowls and bottles. Later, these dried fruits were used to make musical instruments and bird houses. Now, it is one of the popular art medium and are widely used by artists, craftsmen, home decorators and musicians. Hard-shelled dried gourds are used to create wall hangings, bowls, containers, water jugs, show pieces, bird houses, candle holders and lanterns. In order to work on gourds, you must either purchase dried gourds, which can be expensive or buy fresh gourds and dry them before use. Once they get dried, the skin has to be washed, scrubbed and polished, as per your needs. If you want to dry and prepare gourds on your own, then the following tips and guidelines may prove beneficial.
How to Dry Gourds
You have to obtain a fresh and ripe gourd for drying. Those with stems will be preferable. Clean the gourd with a mild bleach solution. It is better to hang the gourds for drying, rather than keeping them on the ground. This ensures that the fruit dries up evenly and does not develop rotten spots. You have to hang them in a dry and well ventilated room with proper air movement. It may take a few months for the gourds to get dry. As they do not change in looks after drying, you have to check, whether the fruits have become completely dry or not. This can be done by gently tapping the gourd. If it emits a hollow sound, the fruit has become dry. You may confirm this by shaking the fruit so that the seeds inside produce a rattling noise. This happens only when the fruit is dry. While drying, gourds may develop mold, which can be removed by cleaning them with mild bleach solution.
How to Clean Dried Gourds
Once the gourds get dry, you have to clean them, before use. Cleaning a dried gourd depends on its use. In some cases, you have to carve out the interior and some others may keep the whole dried fruit intact, as they use the exterior surface only. However, the outer surface can be cleaned in soap water and stubborn mold can be scrubbed off with sandpaper or a blunt knife. Mild bleach solution is also good for removing stubborn mold and for cleaning dried gourds. In case, you want to clean the inner parts, cut open the gourd, as per requirement and remove the seeds and dried pulp and clean with soap water or bleach solution. Allow them to dry. Once they get dry, you can scrub, polish, paint, carve or decorate them to create beautiful and attractive pieces of art.
Dried gourds can be obtained from any reputed gourd supplier. Otherwise, you can dry fresh gourds on your own. In the latter case, you may also save money, as dried gourds are expensive. Once, you get dried gourds, splurge your creativity and imagination and come up with unique art pieces, which can be used for home decorating or as gifts.
