Country Gardens – July 2019

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11


COUNTRY GARDENS // FA LL 2019


STEP 1 Clean the gourd
by soaking it in water for
5 to 10 minutes. Wearing
a safety mask, use the
copper scrubber and/or
scouring pad to remove
soil, mold, and mildew
(accumulated as gourds
air-dry in the fi eld).

STEP 2 Use a pencil to
mark a cutting line around
the gourd shell where you
want the rim of your bowl.
Pierce the shell using the
tip of a utility knife to
make an opening, then
use the hobby knife with a
saw blade to cut along the
marked line.

STEP 5 For an optional
decorative touch, use
a drill to perforate a
pattern around the rim.

STEP 6 Wearing gloves,
brush wood stain onto the
exterior of the gourd. Set
the gourd aside and allow
stain to dry. Apply clear
sealer and dry overnight.

STEP 3 Scrape out the
dried inner pulp and
seeds with a large spoon.
Soak the gourd bowl in
water for 10 minutes to
soften any remaining
pulp. Scrape again to
remove all loose pulp.

STEP 4 Set the gourd on
a folded towel or rag to
steady it while you work.
File the cut edge of the
gourd to make it even,
then smooth the edge
with sandpaper.

Make a Gourd Bowl

MATERIALS:


Celebrate the arrival


of fall by bringing a bit of the harvest


season indoors. Dried hard-shell


gourds are a natural decor go-to


and an ideal material for crafting


lightweight yet sturdy bowls. You


can grow gourds in your garden,


but it’s easiest to buy them ready for


crafting, even if they need a quick


bath and a scrub.


Visit a pumpkin patch, a farmers

market, or an online source to fi nd


these autumnal treasures. To ensure


they will hold their shapes, mature


gourds should air-dry on the vine
over three to six months until
golden brown. If plucked from
the vine while green, fresh gourds
may not dry well without shriveling
or developing dents. (Dried gourds
purchased in the fall were grown
the previous year.)
To make a gourd bowl, select a
hard-shell gourd shape such as
gooseneck, apple, kettle, drum, or
birdhouse that will sit stably on a fl at
surface. Cleaning, cutting, and
sanding gourds releases mold spores

and dust, so wear a safety mask
during these steps.
Experiment with a variety of
fi nishes to see what appeals to you.
Add a pretty hue to the shell by
applying wood stain, shoe polish,
leather dye, or a rub-on wax metal
fi nish. For a gilded touch, apply
metal leaf onto the cut edge of your
bowl. Whether or not you decide to
add color, a coat of clear
polyurethane or acrylic will protect
and enhance the gourd’s natural
beauty and seal colored fi nishes.

Large dried gourd
Large bucket
Safety mask
Copper scrubber
Scouring pad
Pencil
Utility knife
Hobby knife with saw blade
Large heavy-duty spoon
Towel or rag
File
Sandpaper (medium grit)
Drill and bits (optional)
Waterproof gloves
Foam brushes
Wood stain (we used Varathane Wood Stain
in Black Cherry)
Clear satin-fi nish polyurethane sealer

VISIT A


GOURD


FARM


page 24

For more information, see
Resources on page 103.
Free download pdf