I have never understood exuberant fascination with a gourd. This warty bulb is an inedible vegetable, a close relative to the sensible cucumber, pumpkin and squash. Gardeners plant, tend and harvest them, only to possess, observe and admire the product, never eating it.
Yesterday they were, oddly enough, giving gourds away as part of a Remodeler's Showcase open house in Edina. We had stopped by to see a beautiful reconstruction project, and when Kathleen spotted their bountiful bushel basket of give-away gourds, she squealed with delight and began earnestly hunting for the most peculiar ones to gather and bring home, in what appeared to be a primal response to a vague, yet compelling urge. She repeatedly thanked our hosts, the skillful Plekkenpol builders, for their generosity in offering up this food you can't eat. "Help yourself," they grinned. "Please. Take as many as you like. Please."
For my part, I selected a gift ball-point pen with their ad on it.
We dutifully carried home our prize gourds and presumably will treasure them until they soften or rot and we throw them out.
Above are two of the very best specimens for your viewing pleasure. The one on the right has particularly interesting warts, don't you think? Click to enlarge. Enjoy.
And if you have any insights into this, please share.
