Gourds ..

A nice selection Amy..are you going to paint them or eat them ? :o)

I haven't decide yet Sandra I'll let them dry out a bit first :o)

Great shapes colours and textures

Thank you Gcott , I like the middle one best I'm hoping for more but the weather could be against us ....

look great ... I dont think you can eat them though ?

Thanks Gg , you can eat most of them they are a vegetable ,last year I grew some which were rounder I cut the tops off stuffed & baked them they were nice ....

imagine having guests around for dinner and having then on the plate , a Halloween treat lol

They are so attractive....

Oh I love these Amy! And never grow any?? You always do so well with them, love the two coloured courgette one. Have you tried cooking them ever?

Thanks girls ,yes Janey I stuffed and baked some bigger round ones last year they wouldn't be very tasty on their own you need to put flavours in them ,peppers onions rice etc .

They make a nice table decoration.

I'd no idea you could eat them, I thought they were just decorative. Just shows you live and learn.

They look better and last longer when they've been varnished Sue , nice to see you back waddy :o) you can eat them but usually the bigger ones .!

Thank you...I suppose they're related to squash and marrows

Yes they are Waddy , Sheila they are fun to grow if you have a tree or any tall structure just plant the seeds round the base they will climb away , some of the ones I grew last year were bigger round ones they would have made lovely bowls :o)

Saw hat a great decorative arrangement.I wonder if there is a way they can be preserved for using for ornamental purposes!!

Paul they keep for several months after they've had a clear varnish 'coat '

Bother, now I remember I was going to have a go at growing some of these this year, but clean forgot. Note to self for next year.

I thought they were just for decoration too! I have one (maranka) I bought as a souvenir in The Gambia, must be at least 15 years ago, you hold it by the neck & shake it, the seeds inside make a sound like a rattle. No idea how they preserve them but mine doesn't look varnished. The people that sell them are very poor & being 3rd world they tend to use free resources.
They use them for all sorts, vessels, musical instruments etc.
*This is interesting*
Calabash & Gourds:
The gourd family, Cucurbitaceae, which includes the pumpkin and squash has many different uses. Before use as utensils the insides of the gourd is saturated in water and left to rot after which they are left to sun-dry which hardens them greatly. They are then used as ladles, storage containers and spoons (bottle gourd). The larger versions (called leket) are used to make food preparations and the Kora string instrument.

That is interesting Gf I suspect that in hot countries they are left to dry hard naturally in the sun we don't have that luxury here ,putting water inside leaving the flesh to rot makes sense , goes to show how hard the outer case/ skin becomes when yours has lasted for 15 years and no doubt many more years to come ...

Amazing ! I love it, Amy :-))) xxx

Thanks Junna I'm glad you like them :o))