Gourds played an important role in the changes that took place as humans became tool users.There has been evidence from the Ocampo Caves in Mexico and Florida that gourds were used as containers long before baskets or pottery. Some of the oldest samples of pottery imitate the shape of bottle gourds that where most likely used in Africa, North America and Asia. In Peru and Florida ancient gourds have been discovered with primitive basketry techniques in the form of vine webbing and cordage wrapped around them serving as handles or in some cases to attach gourds to netting for fishing.
Several cultures today still use the gourd to make their native fermented drinks. In the Americas there was beer made from veriouse mixed grains and plants that where allowed to ferment in gourds. The Masai of Kenya, Africa make a ceremonial drink from cow blood collected in gourds mixed with milk and honey or urine allowed to ferment for several days in the gourd and then drank by the men of the tribe to prepare them for a hunt or a battle. Poi is made in a huge gourd and allowed to ferment for several weeks in Hawwaii and then served in smaller gourds. It is thought that the gourd offers unique qualities for the fermenting process.
Gourds have served man in many ways as tools, vessels, pots, clothing, hats, musical instruments, currancy, and jewelery only to name a few and continue to be useful to date. However many embellished gourds can be found in museums all around the world that where beautifully embellished with all types of material, weaving , burning and design.
Gourds along with melons and squash are all members of the Cucurbitaceae family, but there are only three kinds of gourds that dry to a hard shell.
- Luffa (Luffa aegyptica Mill syn. L. cylindrica), or Loofah or vegetable sponge
- This is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Luffa is closely related to and has similar cultural requirements as the cucumber. It is an annual climbing vine, which produces a fruit containing a fibrous vascular system. When separated from the skin, flesh and seeds, the fiber network can be used as a bathroom sponge. Luffa can also be used as packing material, for making crafts, and as filters. Used as a bath sponge it produces a mild glow on the skin. The blood circulation the sponge induces on the skin has been credited as a relief for rheumatic and arthritic sufferers. The versatility of the luffa goes beyond producing sponges. The young fruit, when small, (around 6 inches) are delicious used in soup or stew. They can also be cooked like summer squash. Older fruit have been reported to develop purgative chemicals. Because luffa has a compact network of close fibers, its resiliency makes it useful for many products like filters, slipper soles, baskets. Small pieces of luffa sponge are good for scraping vegetables like carrots without having to remove the valuable nutrients by peeling them. You can also wash dishes, scrub your tub, etc. with luffa. When they become soiled throw them in the washer! Luffa is environmentally safe, biodegradable and a renewable resource.
- The ornamental gourd (Cucurbita pepo v. ovifera)
- These babies are the colorful gourds you see around the stores starting around October. They if left in their natural state will dry to a thin hard shell and are used to make such items as onaments and holiday decorations.
- The hardshell variety (Lagenaria siceraria)
- The most popular of the gourds. Its thick hard shell enables a person to carve it , cut it decorate it and use it. They have been used and charished around the world. They come in an array of sizes and shapes from jewelry size to large bushel or barrel size. They grow well in the United states and the seeds are available in all states. You can also buy dried gourds in all sizes from gourd farms across America.
Here are some pictures of the different variety of hard shell gourds:
Hover over a thumbnail to see a larger version. While hovering, click on the image to open a new window to view an even larger picture. Note: if hovering doesn't do anything, just click the thumbnail for a larger image.
Apples
Balls
Bottles
Canteens
Clubs
Eggs
Kettles
Penapples
Round Eggs
Small Mini-bottles
Spinner
Tobacco Box
A big Thank you to Ray Davis of Gourd Gracious Gourd Farm for sharing her pictures of these wonderful gourds. Jerry and (Mrs) Ray Davis have a wonderful selection of dry gourds for sale almost any shape and size imaginable. If you have a problem trying to figure out what gourd you need for your project Ray can assist you and goes out of her way to make sure you find just the right gourd. They also host a Gourd festival in September that is growing annually. You can visit Ray and Jerry at the following:
gourdgracious [at} comcast {dot] net
Gourd GraciousJerry & Mrs. Ray Davis
11132 Byrd Doerner Rd.
Collinsville, MS 39325
(601)737-5333
Stella Brand • RR2 Box 175 • Sperry, OK 74073 • (918)288-6323 • rsram[at]earthlink[dot]net
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