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Here’s a quick and easy off-season project that anyone can make with a few rudimentary tools; a sharp utility knife, a marker, a curved scraper, and some sandpaper.
You’ll need a relatively sturdy dried gourd to start. I grew this one, which is called a “canteen” gourd (8 1/2” in width), in the garden and dried it for about 13 months prior to cutting it. Apply pressure at various points on the gourd to see if the walls are strong enough. Any soft spots are most likely thin areas in the gourd wall. If your finger goes through it, you’ll need to go back to step one with another gourd.
As the gourd dries, it is normal for it to accumulate mold. Before you start cutting, it’s best to soak the gourd in warm, soapy water, with some household bleach mixed in for about a half hour to an hour to loosen the outside debris. After the initial soaking, scrub the outside of the gourd with an abrasive pad, such as a scotch bright pad to clean. Rinse thoroughly, and let it dry.
As illustrated in photo #1, find something circular that you can use to mark a guide for cutting. I used a canister top for this one which fit well. Mark the circle, and begin by taking the utility knife, and tracing the line with enough pressure to lightly score it. Continue scoring the gourd on the cut line several times until the gourd is completely cut through.
Remove and discard the cut through piece. Inside the gourd, there will be a paper-like substance which contain the seeds. You may save these seeds for re-planting next year if you wish; store them in a cool, dry place for the winter.
Scrape the interior of the gourd with the curved scraper, removing the paper membrane on the interior. Once it’s relatively clean, re-soak it to loosen the remainder of the membrane, and to eliminate any mold on the inside with the warm soapy water with bleach solution. Re-scrape the interior again, rinse, and let the gourd completely dry. See photo #2
Once dry, sand the exterior and interior of the gourd to remove more of the membrane, rinse, and let it dry completely once again. After it’s completely dry, take a piece of beeswax, and coat the outside of the gourd. Take a soft cloth, and polish it to seal the exterior. Repeat to get the desired level of polish, if desired. The completed gourd is shown in photo #3.
The bowl can now be used for any purpose you’d like, but putting hot liquids in them is not recommended due to the applied beeswax. The bowl can be used for cool liquids, as it will be watertight, foodstuffs, or anything else you wish.
The completed bowl weighs a total of 3 oz., making it a useful and lightweight piece of camp equipment.
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