Consider the overall shape of the gourd. While some gourds have a natural bottle-like shape, others may need to be manipulated. Decide on the design you want and determine if any shaping is required. Now that your gourd water bottle is properly cured, follow these tips to keep it clean and maintain its longevity: Knife or scalpel: After drilling the opening, use a knife or scalpel to carefully shape the opening into a clean and smooth spout. Slowly carve away any excess gourd material until you achieve the desired shape. When it comes to making a gourd water bottle, designing and shaping the gourd is a crucial step. Not only do you want the bottle to be functional and hold water, but you also want it to look visually appealing. Traditionally in Korea, the inner flesh has been eaten as namul vegetable and the outside cut in half to make bowls. Both fresh and dried flesh of bak is used in Korean cuisine. Fresh calabash flesh, scraped out, seeded, salted and squeezed to draw out moisture, is called baksok. Scraped and sun-dried calabash flesh, called bak-goji, is usually soaked before being stir-fried. Soaked bak-goji is often simmered in sauce or stir-fried before being added to japchae and gimbap. [25] [26] Sometimes uncooked raw baksok is seasoned to make saengchae.

Local farmers’ markets: Farmers’ markets often offer a wide variety of gourds, including those specifically grown for crafting purposes. Visit your local farmers’ market to find unique and high-quality gourds. Renewable resource: Gourds are grown on vines, making them a completely renewable resource. They can be harvested annually without causing any harm to the environment. Gourds” usually refersto the hard-shelled, non-edible cucurbit fruits suitable for decorative ornaments orutensils. One of the differences is how you grow a squash versus a gourd, especially when it comes to seeds and flowers. Gourd seeds get started indoors while squash seeds get sown directly in the ground. They have similar flowers but squashes bloom during the day while gourds bloom at night.” Polishing For Extra Care After two weeks of this method, you will be able to pull out almost all pulp and the skin will come off too. The gourd itself will have no noticeable odor. Put the gourd in a south-facing window for a few days or use our other drying ideas and it will become completely dry. Don’t throw away the lid from the hole you cut at the start, since it will still fit the gourd.Size: Look for a gourd that is large enough to hold an ample amount of water, but not too bulky or heavy to carry around comfortably. A medium-sized gourd, around 6 to 8 inches in diameter, is usually a good choice.

Coat the gourd’s interior with a food-safe sealer, such as beeswax or natural oils like coconut or olive oil. This protective layer enhances the gourd’s durability and prevents moisture from seeping in, reducing the chances of mold and fungus developing. Bottle gourds are grown by direct sowing of seeds or transplanting 15- to 20-day-old seedlings. The plant prefers well-drained, moist, organic rich soil. It requires plenty of moisture in the growing season and a warm, sunny position, sheltered from the wind. It can be cultivated in small places such as in a pot, and allowed to spread on a trellis or roof. In rural areas, many houses with thatched roofs are covered with the gourd vines. Bottle gourds grow very rapidly and their stems can reach a length of 9 m in the summer, so they need a solid support along the stem if they are to climb a pole or trellis. If planted under a tall tree, the vine may grow up to the top of the tree. To obtain more fruit, farmers sometimes cut off the tip of the vine when it has grown to 6–8 feet in length. This forces the plant to produce side branches that will bear flowers and yield more fruit.

How to Make a Gourd Canteen

a b "Li T'ieh-kuai". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008 . Retrieved 26 October 2008. While deer may eat Bottle Gourd, they typically avoid it due to its bitter taste. Are Bottle Gourd vines invasive? Once the seeds germinate, plant them in the ground with the pointy side up to help the plant break the soil. The bottle gourd seedling will use the pointy side of the seed to emerge faster and take in more sun. You should plant the seeds so they’re covered with soil only a little bit — not too deep and not too shallow. How To Plant Bottle Gourd?