Gourds

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Our ancestors couldn’t go to the hardware store or shopping mall to buy utensils and other household essentials. Instead, they improvised with items found in nature. The dried fruit of several members of the cucumber family proved useful for many purposes, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. We call these…

COLUMBIA, Mo.— Our ancestors couldn’t go to the hardware store or shopping mall to buy utensils and other household essentials. Instead, they improvised with items found in nature. The dried fruit of several members of the cucumber family proved useful for many purposes, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. We call these plants…

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Fall is the time to harvest, cure and store ornamental gourds, said University of Missouri Extension horticulturist David Trinklein. “Gourds are thought to be among the first domesticated plant species, dating back to as early as 13,000 B.C,” Trinklein said in a press release. “Through the years, dried gourds served many purposes…