Musicians who planted gourd seeds in the spring and patiently watched as leafy fifty-foot vines overtook their yard, are ready to reap the musical rewards of their labor. Arthur Stephens, founder of the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra, offers tips for transforming the year’s crop into a home-grown orchestra.
Harvesting Gourds
If in doubt whether a gourd is ready to be picked, gardeners will want to leave it on the vine. Gourds will dry on the vine, but if harvested too early, they’ll shrivel and be of no use.
“One way to tell that a gourd is ready to come off the vine,” says Arthur, “is if the stem is actually turning brown. If that’s turning brown or drying up, you know the gourd isn’t getting any more moisture or energy from the vine. You can also tell by size. If the gourd isn’t gaining any more in size, you can go ahead and cut them. When you cut them, leave a little of the stem attached. They’ll dry better.”
Drying Gourds
For drying his gourds, Arthur says he’s tried just about everything. “I’ve dried them by my fireplace on the hearth, I’ve left them in the sun, and I’ve left them in my basement. Keeping them in a warm, dry place is one method, but I’ve actually left gourds outside all winter long and had very good results. As a matter of fact, when you clean a gourd, it has an outer skin you have to scrape off. I found when I left the gourds outside all winter the skin came off almost by itself.
Mold is one thing to watch for as gourds are drying. Patches of mold discolor the gourd’s skin, but this natural, mottled look is actually prized by most gourd growers, so gardeners don’t need to be overly alarmed when mold makes its inevitable appearance. “Gourds are 90% water,” comments Arthur. “When people bring gourds into their house or basement to dry, the gourds have to express that water. It comes out through the skin and starts molding. A lot of people think their gourd’s gone bad and throw it away. But you can just wipe it with a little bleach or Lysol to keep the mold down and it comes right off. If you can leave them in a garage, or some place that’s not exposed to the elements, the cool temperatures of a garage will keep mold at a minimum and you won’t bring it into your house."
Musicians who’ve patiently waited all spring and summer to start crafting their gourds into drums, flutes, rattles, and rainsticks will find it hard to let fall drag into winter as their gourd’s shells harden. “A small gourd may only take a couple of weeks to dry,” Arthur remarks, “but there are some stubborn ones, and then the large ones may take up to two months. You’ll feel the weight change when the gourd is dry and if you shake it, you’ll hear all the seeds and pulp rattle around inside.”
Storing Gourd Seeds for Next Spring
Once the tell-tale rattle of seeds is heard, musicians can break out the drills and hacksaws. In all the excitement though, they’ll want to remember to save the seeds that spill onto the workshop floor for next spring.
Arthur says, “I generally store gourd seeds in a Tupperware container or Ziploc sandwich bags with a drawing of the origin gourd and a description of thickness, length, and whether the gourd was pure or cross pollinated. Arthur keeps his seeds in a cool, dark corner of the house and says they will be viable for several years when stored this way.
Next, musicians and gardeners may want to read tips for planting gourd seeds in the spring as well as growing healthy gourds through the summer. They may also be interested to check out the music of the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra and information about making the gourd musical instruments featured in Arthur Stephens’ group.
Quotes gained in conversation with Arthur Stephans of the Richmond Indigenous Gourd Orchestra.
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