How Do You Make Halloween Gourd Figures?
Painting gourds for Halloween is a family tradition at my house. They make great decorations, great gifts and lend themselves to great indoor or outdoor displays. Good preparation of the gourds and sealing against the elements are the key to success. The gourds normally remain on the vine until the vine is quite brown and dead. Then they are cut from the vine and hung to dry in a cool dry place, like a barn, until dry and brown. When gourds dry they have a tendency to become moldy. This is quite normal. If you buy gourds you will normally get them with the mold on them, but you can pay more and get them already cleaned. Your gourd is ready when it is quite hard, moldy and the seeds rattle when you shake it. It should be hard as wood, which it is, and very light when dry. If you buy a cleaned gourd skip the following instructions. Take your gourd and soak it in warm water with a little bleach in the water for about an hour. It should be totally submerged. Now take a metal pot scrubber a
