Ancestors

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 19:04

In honor of Halloween, it's time for GOURD FACTS.

For every donation to the link below I will post one (1) fact about gourds, pumpkins, squash, and all the ways we use them. It's a really useful family of plants!

https://secure.actblue.com/donate/mastodon

=> View attached media

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 19:15

We don't know for sure, but two things are definitely true about bottle gourds.

-They float

-They can dry up & hold their seeds for a really long time.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 19:15

Especially for plants in arid areas, floating is a good strategy to spread your seeds!

Grow near water (or a wash where water flows sometimes).

Grow fruits & let them dry up into little buoys full of seeds.

Wait for a flood to carry them wherever else the water goes.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 21:18

I see you guys! We're finishing up one last event, should be back a little before 6 👋

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 22:46

The first members of the squash family probably weren't grown for food. They were hard and/or bitter!

Instead, people probably first started keeping them around to dry out & use as containers.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 22:46

After all, you can eat a lot of things. But there are only so many lightweight, waterproof containers out there.

If baskets are too leaky and pottery's too heavy for what you need to do, bottle gourds are your best bet!

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 22:47

ack o'lanterns are from Europe, but squash aren't.

So before Europe found squash, they were making jack o'lanterns out of root vegetables. Turnips, rutabagas, beets, etc.

Credit where it's due, they really nail the "creepy" vibe.

=> View attached media | View attached media

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 22:47

When people first started eating squash, we're pretty sure it wasn't the flesh- it was the seeds!

Squash's seeds are oily & tasty. The flesh on early squash was still hard, bitter, or both.

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online

Written by Sarah Taber on 2024-10-31 at 22:48

Eventually, as people started growing a lot of squash, some of them would naturally have flesh that was less bitter. People got adventurous, started cooking it, and selecting for sweeter & sweeter fruits.

And now there's edible squash!

=> View attached media

=> More informations about this toot | More toots from sarahtaber@mastodon.online