Jack-o-lanterns are no new fall decoration, we see them adorning porches throughout the season – but they are not the only squash deserving of the artistic spotlight.
Gourds are similar to pumpkins in that they are a part of the same family, growing season, and are harvested around October. However, they are different in the fact that they have much tougher skin and very little flesh.
So, they are mostly inedible, yet people grow them year after year because this inedibility leads to a strength of their own.
After going through a long weathering process where the gourds are exposed to all elements and conditions for several months after their harvest, the gourds become even harder than they were. Then, after scrubbing off the rotten skin, the gourds are left outside to dry for a few months longer. By the spring, they are ready to be cut open, cleaned out, and used for many artistic endeavors.
At the Idaho Gourd Festival held at Franz Witte Nursery in Nampa, I saw the wonderful fruits in their final form. Alan Sweeney, President of the Idaho Gourd Society told me how gourds are “not just a decoration on grandma’s table during Thanksgiving” and that people create many things from them such as containers, sculptures, instruments and more.
The first booth that catches my eye is that with beautifully detailed sculptures. The artist Taeko D’Andrea explains to me that she got into gourds in 2016, just by making birdhouses – but eventually, gourds became her passion, and now, all she thinks about are the gourds. Her usage of them is to take large gourds, about the size of bowling balls, which she wood burns and hand carves abstract, floral and other creatures designs on her gourds.
Across the way from Taeko's booth is Ron Swanks. He was the president of the Idaho Gourd Society in years past before Alan Sweeny took the reins. He is also the farmer of all of his gourds and has been for many years. His booth is quite large with many gourd art pieces, but his favorite he explains to me are, "functional art." He shows me his Native American style flutes, thunderdrums and rainsticks — all of them beautifully carved with various designs and colors.
The Idaho Gourd Society has met since 1998 and has put on the Gourd festival almost every year since. Monty Eldfrich, owner of Woodcraft in Boise and a supporter of the society for 15 years said, "I honestly have not found a group of people that are as creative and fun with a sense of humor like these, and talented and passionate about their craft. They do things with gourds that I am always surprised about with.”
Looking around at the different vendors from Kay Coughran, one of the founding members of the society's Egg Gourd Christmas ornaments, to Ron Swank's Long Handled Dipper flutes, and finally to Taeko D'Andrea's Tall Body Gourd Sculptures — it is clear to see that gourd-geous creations come in many forms.
