HOW TO DRY THE CALABASH GOURD

When the principal of my school was presented with a calabash gourd by the teacher who grew it in the Herb Garden, she asked me if there was anyway that we could dry it as she said that it looked too pretty to eat. I promised her that I'd look into it and found out that it is relatively very simple. I already plucked one gourd from the garden last Friday but after reading the instructions below, I realise that I can only eat it as I forcibly cut it from the vine. Now, I will have to telephone my friends to ask them for the recipe on how to cook it.

DRYING THE CALABASH GOURD

The gourds are ready to be picked when the stems become dry enough for them to easily break from the vine.

Here are two methods for drying the gourd below (there are others):

1. For calabash gourds, the easiest and most effective way is to put the gourd in a dry, dark, airy place and let it dry itself. This can take up to three months. When the gourd is completely dry, the seeds will rattle around inside when you shake it.
2. Another, less time consuming method is to wrap the gourd in a wet, soapy towel and let it sit for several hours. When the tough, outer skin has softened you can remove that skin by scraping it or rubbing it with steel wool. Once this outer skin has been removed, you can place the gourd in a warm, dry spot until it is thoroughly dry. This should take only about four days, as opposed to 3 months with the other method.

After the gourds are dried, they can be painted and carved into beautiful decorative pieces. Look at the samples of painted or carved gourds above.

Sources:

http://www.essortment.com/all/craftsgourdsar_rfdm.htm

http://waynesword.palomar.edu/ww0503.htm