How to dry a decorative pumpkin for crafts?

One of the areas of amateur creativity that is gaining popularity is crafts made from dried pumpkin. This natural material, in addition to the pleasure of implementing creative ideas, brings the home craftsman a small problem: how to dry a pumpkin so that products made from it last as long as possible? If there is insufficient preparation, such a problem can nullify all the efforts of those who made crafts from under-dried pumpkin.

Characteristics of raw materials for crafts

Not today did craftsmen come up with the idea of using pumpkin as a material for creativity. Just look at the traditions of making Halloween attributes from it. The creation of dishes from decorative pumpkins in the republics of the North Caucasus and Central Asia has been practiced for several centuries. It is believed that the water in such dishes does not spoil for a long time, does not heat up in the heat, and even helps in the treatment of diabetes.

For crafts by modern designers, decorative pumpkins of two common types are used.

Cucurbita - small bright fruits of cheerful red, orange and golden colors. Beautiful in themselves as an element of autumn garden decor, such pumpkins can serve as material for making lanterns and flower pots. The disadvantage of this material is that its bright colors will fade after a few months.
Lagenaria – it is from these that you can so easily make a bottle, vase, ladle and much, much more.The hard crust of this species changes color over time from green to golden yellow or light brown.

In order to show your creative abilities and throw out a charge of ideas, there is nothing better than handmade crafts. It is especially pleasant to work with such a natural material as pumpkin, it is so expressive and flexible.

How to properly harvest?

A lot depends on this event - it is impossible to carry out a high-quality drying process using damaged material.

When collecting decorative material from the garden, you need to follow a certain technology.

The crop is harvested after the stalks of the plant dry out and turn brown.
The fruits are removed by cutting off the stalk at a distance of 6-10 cm from the plant, without breaking it off at the base.
Damaged, rotten, spoiled pumpkins are discarded and their place is on the compost heap.

Advice

The fruit must have an ideal appearance, since even a small spot of rot can cover a large area in a few weeks.
There is no need to wait for frost to collect slightly unripe decorative pumpkins - their color may change for the worse.

Large specimens intended for food and feed purposes are almost impossible to dry due to the large amount of dense, bulky pulp. We'll have to leave them for delicious porridge, candied baked pumpkin and a carriage for Cinderella.

Is it possible to dry pumpkin quickly?

The answer is categorical - no, no, and again no. Drying the pumpkin quickly and evenly over several days in an oven, microwave, or electric dryer will not work.It may seem like the pumpkin is dry because it has a hard skin, but in addition to the skin, you also need to dry the flesh evenly. This can take several months, and the Lagenaria pulp takes twice as long to dry as the Cucurbita pulp.

If you need to make a craft for a short period of time

For numerous autumn competitions in kindergartens and schools, you can make a spectacular craft using pumpkin dried at home in a short time. The disadvantage of this method is that the craft will not last even 2-3 weeks. But if such a goal was not initially set, then you can try to extend the life of the product.

To do this, you need to cut off the top of the fruit and completely remove its pulp. For this operation, you can use a construction scraper, spoon and other devices.

Advice

To disinfect the inner surface of the pumpkin, wipe it with alcohol or vodka using a sponge.

Next, the scraped and disinfected fruit is stuffed with newspapers and placed where it is dry and warm - on the windowsill of the sunny side of the house or apartment, on a closet. This “filling” needs to be changed as the newspapers get wet, about 2-3 times a day. The period of such drying is 2-3 days. This will happen much more slowly if the room temperature is less than 22 ⁰C.

Preparing for the long drying process

Before drying a pumpkin for crafts, it must be properly prepared. The surface of the fruit is washed with soapy water and dried well. Then the pumpkin is wiped with alcohol or any other alcohol-containing liquids.

After this, the decorative material is transferred for a week to a well-ventilated room, isolated from direct sunlight. There the pumpkin remains until the color of the shell changes.This usually happens within 1-2 weeks. Hardening and darkening of the shell is an indicator that the surface of the pumpkin has dried out.

Final drying

Here you need to be patient, which should be enough for at least 6 months. It is during this time that the decorative pumpkin will acquire the hardness of a wooden product. For high-quality drying, you need to choose a well-ventilated, dark room. It is there that at home the fruits are laid out, or better yet, hung.

Advice

If the fruits will be dried in a lying position, it is advisable to provide air access by placing them on a surface with holes for ventilation.

At the beginning of drying, you need to check the safety of the fruits daily, and, without sparing, discard those that have begun to deteriorate, soften and wrinkle. You can try to remove small islands of mold with bleach or wiping with a dry cloth. This measure will help if there is hard bark under the mold.

Every 1-2 weeks, the fruits need to be turned to dry evenly and prevent rotting. An indication that drying has ended will be the rustling sound of the seeds when shaken, and the pumpkins themselves will become hard and light. If the decorative pumpkin becomes rough or begins to peel, it can be sanded with sandpaper in the same way as any wood product.

After this process, which requires a lot of patience, you can begin the creative work of decorating the pumpkin. Now you can paint it, varnish it, carve it, and use elements to decorate this natural material. The service life of such a product is unlimited.