hat is a gourd? A gourd is a fruit in the family Cucurbitaceae which includes edible and inedible gourds. Squashes, pumpkins, cucumber are the examples of the edible members of this family. The inedible part of this family are as follows:
There are three types of gourds:
Hard-shell Gourds (including Cannonball)
The fruit has a white flower for pollination; the fruit is green on the vine
The fruit dehydrates to a tan/brown color
Used for art and crafting
Will not rot if dehydrated properly
Ornamental or soft-shell gourds
Colorful shells
Used for fall decorating
Hard to dry/dehydrate, many rot
Luffa or vegetable sponge gourds
We will be discussing the Hard-shell gourds used for art, utility, and crafts.
When dehydrated properly the outer shell becomes like wood.
There are over 30 types of hard-shell gourds.
The CANNONBALL gourd is the one that is most often used by Cherokee for a gourd rattle.
Aptly named because they resemble the size and shape of a Civil War cannonball.
These gourds are very round. They are about 5″ – 6″ in diameter.