They are used as drinking vessels, mixing bowls or as special musical instruments: dried gourds. In this guide, we explain step by step how to dry the gourds yourself.
Dried gourds are used as bottles in some countries
Be careful when harvesting the gourds
Be careful not to harvest gourds too early. It is best to wait until the plants begin to wither. During this time, the days and nights are already getting cooler.
Note: If you harvest the bottle gourds too early, there is a risk that they will rot during the drying process - in this case it will be impossible to continue using the fruit and making something nice out of it.
How to properly dry gourds
Choose a dry and warm place to dry your gourds. A cellar and also a quiet place in a garden shed (€24.90) are ideal.
Not all bottle gourds can stand on their own. For this reason, we advise you to either hang the calabashes by the neck with gardener's raffia or, alternatively, put a ring made of cardboard or solid material underneath.
You may be wondering what exactly happens during the drying process. Here's the answer: the pulp becomes woody and impermeable to water. This allows you to store liquids in them when the gourds are completely dry.
Important: gourds MUST be air dried. Just don't try to rush the whole thing by using the oven. This procedure is fine for other fruits, but fatal for bottle gourds.
And don't touch your gourds while they're drying. Even small changes or damage may cause their pulp to rot.
tips
You'll know the gourds are done drying when you hear the seeds rattling loudly and clearly when you shake the gourds. Try this after a while (a few days).
How to proceed after drying
After drying, you can work on the gourds with a saw, for example - whether you build a birdhouse or other objects from them is up to you. Your creativity is in demand. Original lamps can also be made with dried gourds. All you have to do is saw off the bottom and thread the cable through the neck. In addition, you can paint the outer skin of the calabash wonderfully, whether with acrylic paints or simply with a glossy clear coat. If you de-stem the pumpkins after drying, you will get unique vases.
Last but not least, a tip: Use only fully ripe gourds with a slightly lignified fruit wall for drying and further processing.
The garden journal freshness ABC
How can fruit and vegetables be stored correctly so that they stay fresh for as long as possible?
The garden journal freshness ABC as a poster:
- as a free PDF file to print out yourself