While we love the idea of using a gourd vase as the centerpiece on your Thanksgiving table, you can also display handiwork on your mantel or on your front porch steps.
Choosing Your Gourd
There are so many gourd varieties and nearly all of them can pull double duty as a vase: butternut squash, acorn squash, sugar pumpkins, ghost pumpkins, and more. Before you buy your gourd, think about how tall you want your centerpiece to be. A butternut squash, for example, is perfect for long-stemmed blooms, whereas an acorn squash is a better fit for a more low profile arrangement.
What You’ll Need
Tools
Paring knifeSerrated knifeCutting boardSpoon or ice cream scoopGlass vase (optional)
Materials
GourdFresh or dried flowers
Here’s How to Do It
Tips for Keeping Your Gourd Fresh
Just like a carved pumpkin, a cut gourd will rot more quickly than one that is uncut. We recommend creating your gourd arrangements the night before your dinner. While we don’t recommend keeping your autumnal vase for more than a few days, there are a few things you can do to ensure it doesn’t prematurely rot.
Clean and Sanitize the Gourd
A cut gourd is susceptible to mold and bacteria. To help combat this, you can cleaning the inside of the gourd with a bleach/water solution (use one teaspoon of bleach per one quart of water). Then, let it fully dry before adding flowers.
Apply Petroleum Jelly to the Carved Edges
Petroleum jelly helps seal the gourd, to protect it from bacteria and retain moisture. (When gourds are too dry, they shrivel and rot.) Apply the jelly in a thin layer after you’ve cleaned and sanitized your gourd.
Keep Your Gourd Cool
If you don’t plan to display your gourd right away, keep it in the fridge with plastic wrap pulled tightly over the exposed edges to avoid browning.
