fashioned Into a floor lamp, gourds can
your light.
When
light up
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Gourd
(Continued from Page B 2)
the vines before the first frost, if
they arc maturing properly. Fol
lowing killing frost, they should
be picked with as much stem
remaining as possible.
“Don’t pick them up by the
stems,” Ruth says adamantly.
Stems arc both brittle and fragile
and break off easily.
Mature gourds should be left
outside or kept perhaps in an
unheated garage or porch area all
winter to finish hardening the
shell. The largest bushel gourd
takes up to eight months to fully
cure so that the surface docs not
scratch in use.
After curing, gourds should be
set out in the rain or kept damp in
a plastic bag overnight to soften
the rought outer skin so it can be
removed to expose the smooth,
inner shell layer. Shells can be
sanded and sealed with acrylic
sprays, painted dccoralivcly, or
left to their own natural warm
bcigc-colored beauty. Ruth often
uses a wood-burning etching tool
to fashion designs on the hardened
gourd surface.
When Ruth wants to save seeds
from a gourd she has grown, she
checks at least six seeds with a
pliers to sec if the inside is fleshy.
Masses of seeds passing the pliers
lest arc swished in a container of
water to loosen the dried mem
branes, then rubbed dry between
towels. After the seeds are well
air-dried, they are stored in zipper
plastic bags in a cool, dry place.
Ruth suggests that gourd seed be
held no longer than three years.
“The best way to get seeds,
though, is to join the American
Gourd Society,” Ruth believes.
This organization of more than
6,000 members from around the
world is 30 years old and head
quartered in Mt. Gilead, Ohio.
Their ncwletlers, put out several
times per year, features gourd
growers, creative ideas, tips on
cultivation and seed exchange and
sales ads
The Gourd Society also keeps
members up-to-date on the latest
gourd show happenings and annu
ally sponsors the world’s largest
gourd show. Ruth and her late
husband L.M. began attending the
Gourd Society’s show many years
ago. Friendships, fellowship, and
gourd competitions keep drawing
her back to the annual early
October event. In fact, devising
creative gourd designs for the
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Lancaster Farming, Saturday, April 24, 1993-B3
show’s competition often begins
for Ruth even before the previous
show ends.
She has won numerous awards,
from her bird house creations of
dipper gourds to the gourd fashion
accessories she designs. While
Ruth picks up new ideas from
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is just as likely to pass on her own
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