Information and the History of Dried Gourds


by Tracy Swartz - Date: 2006-12-08 - Word Count: 684 Share This!

Gourds come from the cucurbitaceous family (say that ten times fast). The cucurbitaceous family has tendril-bearing vines with both male and female blossoms. The vine from this plant family produces a fruit with an outer-shell with the seeds embedded in pulp. Did you know that gourds are in the same family as pumpkins, melons, squash, cucumbers and zucchini? I learned just this year that if I plant gourds, I want to be darn sure I do not plant any other squashes in my garden. The gourd plant will cross-pollinate and I will end up with some kind of Frankenstein gourd. Now I could go out there and hand pollinate the flowers in the evening. But you know, the thought of a flashlight, a paintbrush, and mosquitoes do not appeal to me. For me, Simplicity and Ease is the name of the game. I'll just skip growing a couple of cucurbitaceous plants next year. I don't mind supporting our local farm market!

And this is very important! Pay attention here. Just because a gourd is in the same family as a squash, I do not recommended you call a gourd-head a squash-head, unless your looking for a food fight. Being a gourd-head is a proud honor and not to be trifled with. Now, I'm not going to argue that some gourd-heads would fall under the squash-head description, but I'm a peaceful kind of gal and personally wouldn't go there. Did you know there are two gourd types? The type I work with is called the hard-shell (largenaria siceraria) gourd and the other type is the ornamental (cucurbita pepo (variety ovifera)) gourd. The hard-shell gourd has an exterior like wood which you can carve, burn, paint, and wear. Yes you can wear gourds! You can wear them as necklaces, hats, and a gourdkini. Yes, one of these days I am going to create the Gourdkini. I haven't figured out how to size it yet. Gourds come in so shapes and sizes that the only way to get a good fit would be to try it on. No. I haven't tried any gourds on…yet. Ornamental gourds are the kind you buy for autumn decorations that sit on your table or wherever one places those kinds of things. You know, those funny looking things they sell next to the pumpkins in the store? Yes, those. They do not dry into a hard shell gourd. Trust me, I tried to experiment on one and it turned into a nice mushy pile of smelly goo. I guess someone somewhere would consider this a new art form, but I don't think it would be real popular unless you're trying to make some kind of statement with smelly goo.

Gourds have been used by various cultures around the world for thousands of years. Guess what they found in places like Egypt and ancient Peruvian caves? You guessed it gourd fragments! The earliest discovery of gourd use was about 10,000 BC. Gourds have been used for bowls, eating utensils, food storage, musical instruments and various religious and ritual ceremonies. Gourds sure are an oldie but a goodie. Their uses today are quite different from ancient times. Today they are made into decorative bowls, works of art, musical instruments, birdhouses and whatever else the human imagination can…well, imagine! Personally, I like to hear the gourd whisper sweet nothings in my ear and tell me what it wants to morph into. One thing I have learned about this process is to never, ever, ever argue with a gourd. You don't win. I've tried many a time over the years and I haven't won yet. Now, if someone (or even I) would like a particular design, I ask for volunteers. They raise their stems and jostle about yelling, "Pick me! Ooh, pick me!" All right, not really, I'm just joshing you there. I am somehow guided to just the right one for the project at hand and unless I get in the way of the creative unfolding, all goes smoothly.

There you have it, a little history on the humble, unassuming gourd.

Have a Wonder-Filled day and enjoy the journey!


Related Tags: crafts, history, arts, gourds, dried gourds, gourd art, gourd crafts

Tracy L. Swartz, PhG
The Domestic Gourdess

My work is a treasure hunt to find the mystery and beauty of the Gourd hidden beneath the layers.

Gourd art is similar to life unfolding before us, and the choices we make. I choose to transform those things that may on the surface appear awful and unlovely into something uplifting and beautiful. I equate my gourd art to the versatile nature of people, always changing, always unfolding, and always discovering something new.

Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles

© The article above is copyrighted by it's author. You're allowed to distribute this work according to the Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs license.
 

Recent articles in this category:



Most viewed articles in this category: