Hello!

They can be smooth or warty - colored or plain – striped or ridged.
They can be shaped apple – ball – bell – egg - pear!
They can be bi-colored – stripped - spotted – orange – green – white!

What are they? Some delicious delicacy? Some kind of high calorie cookie or delectable donut?
Nope! They are ornamental gourds! And this is the time of the year when people go ga-ga over gourds.

Gourds are one of the very favorite fall items, along with pumpkins and Indian corn. They can be found at your local supermarkets, at some retail store, at some roadside stands. And, of course, the very best selection is at the Lowville Farmers’ Market! They can be sold by the piece or by the pound.

What to look for? Well, stay away from soft, mushy, dented, or damaged gourds – they simply will not last. Stay away from gourds with water spots – these were caught and damaged by frost. They won’t last either. Stems are nice, but most usually fall off any way! Shells should be hard, but don’t test them by poking your fingernails in them. This ruins them and they will start to rot.

Gourds should be washed in warm soapy water, and then rinsed in a 10% bleachy solution. This removes any dirt, and kills any soil borne bacteria or fungus that can ruin the gourds and cause rot or mold. Now unless you know that they have already been washed and bleach-treated, you just may want to wash and bleach all the gourds that you buy. Be on the safe side, wash and bleach, especially if they still have dirt on them. Then carefully dry the gourds and let them sit on some newspapers on a sunny windowsill for a few days. For the final drying, wipe the gourds again with a soft cloth soaked in bleach.

For long-term storage, spread them on newspapers in a warm, dry, dark place for 3 to 4 weeks. You might want to put them in your attic, or on the closet floor, or under a chest of drawers, or even under a bed. The warmth or heat encourages rapid drying or curing; the darkness prevents the fading of colors. The dryness discourages mold and mildew. And you might want to poke a hole with a large pin or needle near the bottom blossom-end scar; this encourages internal drying. The seeds in fully dried gourds will rattle when you shake them.

At any rate, most folks are not interested in long-term gourds. They want to enjoy them now! They end up buying a unique collection each and every year, and dump them once Halloween and Thanksgiving are over.

Here are some display suggestions for those gourds. You can use them in their natural state (the way they are), or you can wax them with paste wax or carnauba wax. Then you can buff them with a soft cloth for a soft, shiny surface with highlights.

You can shellac the gourds to give them a longer lasting hard, glossy finish. You can even use polyurethane as well, if that’s what you have on hand. But, keep in mind, polyurethane takes longer to dry.

Or you can paint the gourds that have a poor or dull color. Use spray paint or brush the paint on with a flat or an enamel finish. Try painting those gourds by suspending them by their stems. Or you can guild your gourds with silver or gold spray paint or brush it on.

As far as arranging your gourds for display – the sky is the limit! Go for it! Be creative – be imaginative – be experimental!

As far as today goes – the sky’s the limit – go for it - at the Lowville Farmers’ Market.

Yes, today from 9:30 until 1 in the Forest Park Pavilion on the beautiful Lewis County Fairgrounds. Stock up on all of your gourds and pumpkins, and a whole fall fare of fabulous fine fresh produce, baked delicacies, and beautiful crafts.

Keep in mind that there is only one more market after today. WIC and senior families have only 1 more opportunity to use their Farmers’ Market coupons!

Hey – Remember – Eat Smart New York!

And – Bye – Talk to you soon!
D