It’s an annual rite of autumn, but anyone can carve a pumpkin.
But gourds? That requires patience and a passion that goes far beyond Halloween.
Ask any serious “gourder.” This curious vine has wrapped around their hearts and taken hold.
In gourds, retired teacher Leann Cooke of Elk Grove, Calif., found an outlet for her creativity.
“When I retired, I thought I’d go nuts without something to do,” said Cooke, who started carving gourds nine years ago. “Then, I found this special place where I can fill up my soul.”
Working hundreds of hours on some gourds, she painstakingly creates delicate works of art — burning, carving, etching, dyeing, painting and polishing to perfection.
“People think it’s like carving a pumpkin, which is another kind of gourd,” Cooke explained. “But they don’t appreciate the amount of work that goes into the process. Pumpkins stay soft; gourds are hard as wood.”
Gourds are a lot of work — both for grower and carver.
Known as the Gourd Farmer, Greg Leiser grows 30 varieties on 10 acres at his Knights Landing, Calif., farm, which is open to the public.
Leiser ships gourds throughout the United States. Many of his best customers are in Hawaii, where gourds are used to make musical instruments.
Gourds are graded and sold by circumference. A good carving gourd can cost $10 to $15, uncleaned. Sizes range from micro-minis barely 2 inches long to giant Zucca gourds, 3 feet long and 30 inches around.
In the Sacramento Valley, gourds are planted in June but aren’t ready for harvest until the following April or May. That gives them time to dry and harden.
Once cleaned and preserved with coats of urethane, a finished gourd can last a century.
At area farms, Cooke hand-selects her gourds, mottled with mold. Part of the curing process, the mold helps toughen the rind to woodlike hardness. The mold also leaves an indelible pattern on the surface that she incorporates into her art.
Cooke scrubs the gourds clean, then lets her imagination take over.
“They speak to me,” she said. “They tell me what they want to be a giraffe, an elephant, a penguin, a bird feeder, a bowl. Each one is unique, but each one is special.”
