Tuesday, October 4, 2016

Does it Work Part 7 Making Fall Pumpkins and Gourds Last Longer

It's that time of the year when people are displaying pumpkins and gourds in their fall arrangements.  It seems every year one or more of mine start to rot before Halloween.  So I did a little research and only time with tell if it works.  So go ahead and give it a try because you never know it might work. I will admit I am worried about the pumpkins surviving until Halloween because it has been so hot here.

Here are the gourds that I am going to clean up.
I filled my sink, this is when a deep sink comes in handy, with warm water.  The directions that I found said 1 Tablespoons dish detergent per gallon of water.  I did not measure my water so I eyeballed it.
Then I added the Clorox.  Again the recipe calls for 2 Tablespoons per gallon.  I eyeballed that as well.
I put the gourds in and let them soak for a little bit.
They look like they are enjoying their bath.
Scrub around on them to remove all dirt.  This bath is suppose to remove the bacteria that causes rot.
Get out old towels because you don't want to risk the clorox making spots on your good towels.  Let them sit for a little bit.
Now for the pumpkins.  This is a white pumpkin that is going to become BB8 for our Funfest Trunk or Treat at church.
While the pumpkins are soaking, I dried the gourds.
Make sure you get all the nooks and crannies.  You don't want to leave any moisture in there.
Now the pumpkins are sitting drying.
This is where the gourds ended up.  I will keep a watch on them to make sure none start to rot.  Always look on bottom.
A few of them up close.  The gourds must have liked the hot weather because there are a lot of them this year and they sure are pretty.

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