Hi Charlie,
Welcome to the forums. Can you tell us a bit more about the types of gourds you now have? Are they ornamentals or the hard shell variety? The warty type can be either.

Just keep feeding us enough information and someone here will come up with the answers.

Jan

Hi Jan,

At least one is not hardshelled. When I opened the box it was broken and the shell was paper-thin and it was shaped sort of like a fig. Most of the others seem to be pretty sturdy. There are a variety here. Some look like mini-canteens, mini-dippers, some are ornamental, there are some that look like dippers except they have flanges that stick out like a bunch of little wings. Some look like they are trying to be a D'anjou pear, not the Bartletts like most pear gourds. Some are just bumpy all over. There is one that sort of resembles a banana gourd.

If I can figure out this danged digital camera... My pictures are either too light or too dark.

Charlie

Charlie, they sound like a variety of ornamentals. These are typically a small, colorful gourd used in Autumn decorating. They can be preserved as a hardshell gourd, but are usually just tossed after Thanksgiving.
What colors are the gourds?
Do they feel solid, or do they feel very lightweight, and rattle when you shake them?

Jan

Some are pretty solid feeling (like a hardshell would be) but they are light and rattle too.

I run the gamut on colors from light tan to dark brown. Some have the typical ornamental coloring - green stripes, but many are colored just like the average gourd.

I've taken a couple of photos, let me see if I can get this to work. I'm sorry that these are not the best, I've tried to adjust the brightness on the ones in the sink so that it doesn't kill your eyes.

Charlie

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlie's warty gourds

Oops! I'm so sorry. I forgot to change the viewing to public. Let's try this again.

I've been cleaning these puppies for the last few days and I'm almost done (70 of them total). Many of them are definately hardshell, but some are quite thin. At first, they felt pretty firm, but after they soaked for a bit, they definately *gave* when I pressed on them. I put my thumb through one while trying to clean it. Some had tiny holes and took water in from their soaking. I could definately use scissors to cut these. Is there anything that can be done with them or should I toss them?

I have a hardshell that is pretty heavy, but I don't know if it took in water or what. Should I drill a little hole to let any moisture out or is it beyond hope?

Charlie

Here is a link that might be useful: Charlie's Warty Gourds

Your gourds appear to be ornamental gourds. A hardshell gourd is the type that is used for birdhouses, vessels and other useful items. Even though your gourds are dry, they are not likely to be good for much crafting. A good book for you to check out is, Gourds in Your Garden, by Ginger Summit. You may be able to find it in your local library, and most book stores will either have it on their shelves, or be able to get it for you.

Jan

Thanks for all your help Jan. I guess I really goofed not asking questions of the seller first. I know she does gourd art herself, so I was very trusting that they were useful. I'll know better next time.

At least a few of them are useful and it's not a total waste. I have some small canteens, bananas, pears and kettles, just not that many.

Charlie

Charlie got the perfect deal for warty gourds, follow the link below to a tutorial for making hanging planters out of warty gourds. Looks as though one of those gourds in your photo is a warty, one in the back in the first picture, so don't give up hope :)

Here is a link that might be useful: Warty Gourd Planter

Oh, that is a great idea!!! Thank you so much for your help, I never would have thought of a planter :)

Charlie