Decorative pumpkin varieties are not intended for human consumption, nor for use as feed for livestock. But they are still grown for their own needs and for sale, because the vine of a decorative pumpkin looks very advantageous in the garden, and in the fall it is adorned with cute fruits of different shapes.
The most common for decorative purposes are two main varieties of decorative pumpkin:
- "Cucurbita" - small bright pumpkin, taking the most unusual forms with a soft crust and flesh;
- "Lagenaria" - large pumpkins with a hard crust, which are used for utilitarian purposes - the creation of starling houses, bowls and other containers.
By the way, growing a decorative pumpkin - a great way to attach to the garden of the child - trust him to grow a pumpkin, he can easily cope with this task. And from the harvest, you can then make interesting crafts and decorations for the interior together. To ensure that the products from the decorative pumpkin are preserved and for a long time did not lose sight, it is necessary to prepare it in advance.
How to dry and keep a decorative pumpkin?
The needlewomen, who had never before dealt with melons and cucurbits, naturally ask themselves how to dry decorative pumpkins. After all, if you do not make timely and correct processing, then crafts made of decorative pumpkin will very quickly lose shape, look, or even rot. This process is long and time consuming and, unfortunately, fast and simple methods, like drying in a microwave oven does not exist. So, what you need to do in order to dry the pumpkin:
- The surface of the pumpkin should be thoroughly washed with soap and dried.
- Place for 1 week in a warm well-ventilated room. The cortex will begin to change its color and harden and dry well within 7 days.
- Carefully cut off the tip and carefully scrape the flesh.
- Pumpkin without pulp stuff the paper and leave in a ventilated warm room.
- Waiting for the pumpkin to dry, periodically changing the paper.
It takes an average of 2-3 weeks. You can also dry the pumpkin completely, without removing the entrails. This method is suitable for preparing small decorative pumpkins to create toys, rattles, interior decorations. If you shake such a pumpkin, you can hear the seeds rattling. But the drying of whole pumpkins requires constant inspection and treatment in case of mold and to prevent decay and takes up to 6 months at a time!
What can I do with a decorative pumpkin?
With the phrase "crafts made from pumpkins," many people have an association with the Halloween holiday, borrowed from Western culture, whose main entourage are frightening heads with grimaces carved from pumpkins. But in fact, the range of pumpkin products is unusually wide. Of these, cups, vases, candlesticks, caskets, rattles, maracas, mobile phones and much more are made, to which only the imagination of needlewomen is much.
We bring to your attention the idea for crafts made of pumpkins - a master class for making a lamp.
We need:
- decorative pumpkin;
- chisel for cutting linoleum;
- stencil drawing;
- cutting;
- dessert spoon;
- screwdriver;
- knife;
- Scotch;
- nail.
Progress:
- Carefully cut off the crust from the bottom of the pumpkin with a knife. The hole must be large enough to remove the seeds and flesh.
- Attach a pre-prepared stencil to the pumpkin with an adhesive tape.
- The nail pierce the paper along the contour.
- Chisel for linoleum, carefully cutting the skin, cut out the contours of the pattern on the pumpkin, combining the points made by the nail.
- Then completely remove the target skin, leaving a layer of pulp.
- Screwdriver rotate in the pumpkin holes for beauty and ventilation.
- Inside put a candle or a flashlight and a creative lamp from a decorative pumpkin is ready.
