How to Clean Gourds for Food or Water Storage
Cleaned, dried and hollowed gourds are often used decoratively, but gourds can also be used for food and water storage. Gourd canteens and food containers are a unique utilitarian craft and are durable and long lasting. The best kinds of gourd to use for food and water storage are Lagenaria gourds because they have the hardest shells. The longest part of this process is drying the gourd, as gourds take months to completely dry.
Things You'll Need
- Lagenaria gourds
- Liquid dish soap
- Rags
- Oven mitts
- Tapered corks
- Drill
- Fine tooth saw
- Fine grit sandpaper
- Spoon
- Scrub brush
- Gravel
- Paraffin canning wax
Instructions
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1
Choose gourds that have hard shells, with no soft spots. Cut the gourds off the vine with the stems intact if you are harvesting your own gourds. Cut gourds for drying during the beginning of winter, after they have dried out on the vine for two to three weeks.
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2
Clean the surfaces of the gourds with warm water and liquid dish soap.
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3
Place the gourds in a dry, warm, well-ventilated area for drying. Place the gourds away from direct sunlight. Space the gourds so they are not touching each other. Periodically turn the gourds. The gourds can also be hung by string or nylon. Wipe off mold as it appears with a damp cloth. The shell should be dried within two weeks. The interior will take at least six months to dry. When the gourd feels hollow and you can hear the seeds rattling inside, it is dried.
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4
Soak the gourds in warm water for 15 minutes or until the skins are loose enough to remove. Remove the skins by gently scrubbing the surfaces with a scrub pad.
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5
Make an opening. Drill a hole toward the top or at the side of the gourds or saw off the tops. Tapered corks can be used for sealing the openings. The cork can be traced as a guide for cutting the opening. For drilling, make multiple, small holes around the traced line to cut out the opening. Sand the inside rim of the opening with sandpaper.
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6
Clean out the residue inside of the gourd. Use a spoon and any other long handled tools you have to break up the residue and scrape it out. Be careful not to damage the opening. Place gravel in the gourd and shake it around to also help break up the residue. The interior can also be soaked with water to help loosen the residue.
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7
Seal the interior of the cleaned gourd. Put the gourd in the oven for eight to ten minutes. Remove the warm gourd and pour melted paraffin canning wax into the gourd. Seal the opening and swirl the wax inside of the gourd around so it evenly coats the interior. Handle the warm gourd with oven mitts. Pour out the excess wax. Set the gourd aside to dry and cool.
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