The Gourd Reserve

The Gourd Reserve is dedicated to the education of Gourds for functional use, as well as pieces of art. They have been around since the dawn of time and man through out the ages has used them for utility purposes as well as for decorative purposes, and even crafted as bird houses which is perhaps what they are most commonly recognized as today. Beyond being utility vessels, they are also a 3D art canvas now being favored by many fine artists around the world. Their use as an art canvas, their use by Creek Indians as purple Martin Houses, and educational books on gourd crafting and arts.

One of our visitors and a reader and fellow experimenter in drying techniques has clean and dried Apple Gourds in just 10 days. If you are not familiar with our drying experiments, please make yourself familiar with them by reading the Gourd Report Vol 1  before toasting one of your prize gourds.

Creek Indians in America used gourds for centuries as Purple Martin Bird houses as well as for storing and protecting their corn from the animals. Purple Martins eat flying insects captured in flight, including many larger flying insects which has led many farmers and rural homes to make Purple Martin gourds to attract them.  The Creek Indians realized this and for centuries they grew large kettle shaped gourds for the purpose of housing Purple Martins for insect control.  As a result, many wild Purple Martins are already accustomed to using gourds for nesting, so much so there are companies producing plastic Purple Martin house gourds in hopes that these birds will not distinguish between plastic look alike and the real thing. Once Purple Martins have adapted a suitable nesting ground, as long as their homes are taken care of, cleaned or replaced yearly, they will return along with the next generation.  Some Purple Martin lovers literally have an annual nesting of 100’s to 1,000’s of Purple Martins.  One of the most interesting aspects of Purple Matins is they are the only bird in North America that has developed a total dependency on Humans for their existence.  Without humans providing nests for Purple Martins, they would rapidly become a rare, if not extinct bird in America due to a loss of their nesting places.  Before humans provided them nesting homes, they used old woodpecker nests, but woodpecker nests are normally only found in standing dead trees which  which now are generally cut down and cleared by man for new growth or for fire wood.

We hope you take time to explore our site and view some of the beautiful artwork that turns these gourds from a utilitary device to a beautiful piece of home decor fit for even the finest art collections.