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If I had to choose, my favorite season would have to be autumn. There are so many reasons. The golden color of the light. The crisp mornings. Glorious fall color. But number one? Carving pumpkins and squashes!

Pumpkins and squashes refer to species of the genus Cucurbita, a plant native to the Americas. Squashes are loosely grouped as summer or winter. Well-known types of summer squash are the patty-pan and the zucchini and winter squashes include the pumpkins and butternuts.

Gourds are from the same family as squashes. The shell of the gourd, when dried, has a wooden appearance. Gourd wood is made of cellulose and has no grain. It varies in thickness from paper-thin to well over an inch. Drying gourds can take months, causing the internal contents of seeds and flesh to desiccate, though seeds are capable of germination. A bitter smell is typically evident when opening a gourd that has not completely dried out inside.

Archaeological evidence suggests that squashes may have been first cultivated in the Americas 8,000 to 10,000 years ago. Squash was one of the Three Sisters, sacred food plants grown by Native Americans. The Sisters included corn, beans and squash. Seeds of these were grown together as the cornstalk provided support for the climbing beans and shade for the squash. The squash vines provided ground cover to limit weeds. And the beans help to provide nitrogen to all three crops. This natural symbiosis may be the first example of companion planting.

Archeologists have found pottery and utensils dating back to prehistory that may well have been fashioned and made to mimic the shape and uses of gourds. In Polynesia, where the volcanic and coral make up of the land lacks clay for pottery and metal for manufacturing, the uses and artistry of the gourd reached an advanced level. This is seen particularly in Hawaii, where gourds of all shapes and sizes were served many uses. Often they were decorated with precise geometric patterns and were so highly valued that special care was taken in their planting, cultivation and harvest.

But when it comes right down to it, who can resist the lure of those piles of colorful winter squashes and gourds in the fall? Both decorative and delicious, there’s a myriad of uses for this versatile vegetable. Alive with fall colors and adorned by knobs and ribs, warts and wings, a clever arrangement of assorted of squash and gourds is all you need for a unique autumn centerpiece or a bountiful outdoor display.

The American folksong Follow the Drinking Gourd was first published in 1928. The tune is said to be used by Underground Railroad operatives as encoded escape instructions. The directions enabled fleeing slaves to make their way north to the Ohio River and freedom. Taken at face value, the drinking gourd refers to the hollowed out gourd used as a water dipper. The song uses it as code for the Big Dipper, the constellation that points to Polaris and the way North.

In the US, you will find three botanical types of gourds: hardshells, ornamentals, and luffas. Hardshell gourds, or Lagenaria siceraria, have white flowers that open as the day cools, closing the next morning. As the name implies, their woody shells are hard and can be up to more than an inch thick if the growing season is long enough. On the vine, the developing hardshell gourd is green, sometimes mottled with light and dark stripes. When dried, they are brown or tan. Hardshell gourds will last thousands of years. They have been found in the pyramids in Egypt and in caves high in the Andes. They often get their names from their shapes; apple, birdhouse and snake are just a few. Hardshells all cross-pollinate with all other hardshells, so these shapes are infinitely variable.

Ornamental gourds, or Cucurbita pepo var. ovifera, are members of the same plant family as many squash. Their day-blooming yellow flowers look like zucchini or other summer squash blossoms. Today, the ornamental varieties are grown largely for their bright colors, which rarely last after drying. Properly harvested and cured, they can make attractive, if less sturdy, craft items. These are the gourds that you often see at the grocery store. I like a big wooden bowl heaped full of pears, eggs and crowns of thorns on the dining room table.

While some gourds are now readily accepted as fine art, most of the decorated gourds you will find fall into the craft category. Your project can be as simple as drying an apple gourd and using it to fashion a birdhouse, or as complex as carving an eerie Halloween scene on the gourd’s surface. How do you begin? First, remember that gourds have a look and consistency that is similar to wood so anything that you can do to wood, you can do with a gourd. Gourds can be cut or carved, sanded and stained, painted, polished, etched or wood burned. Your technique is only limited by your imagination. Another appealing factor with gourds is their whimsical shapes. When I carve pumpkins, I look for their personality. The same holds true for gourds.

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