What can you do with a gourd?

A loyal reader asks the question: "What can you do with a gourd? You can't eat them, right?"

Right.  Gourds are not tasty treats.  In fact, processing gourds is a bit gross, as they tend to mold when drying out.  However, once dry and the icky grossness is scrubbed off, what you have left is something limited only by your own imagination.  

Gourds can be decorative or useful, or both.  Birdhouses, dippers, containers for salt, drinking water, alcohol....just about anything can be done with a gourd!  

There are lots of books and websites available with how-to, so I won't get into that.  I will note that you need to line the gourd with wax to carry liquids.

Here are a few of my decorative gourds.  Eöl did the apple gourd as a gift for me.  He carved the lid out of wood...and swore never to make another, as it was a huge Pain In The Arse. 

The other gourds are woodburned - by yours truly -which sounds weird since they aren't wood.  Pretty, aren't they?  Oh, the basket in the background is a peanut basket made by my awesome MIL.