Higuera night light
This is the final product of the Higuera night light project. I have carved extra patterns on the wood of the gourd to give the effect of the shell with more waves. A light varnish has been used to preserve the wood.
small bulb with on and off adapter used.
Note the clean insides of the Higuera. This will become a little spotted with time and as it dries more. You can also apply a little varnish to preserve the wood like surface. You can also prime it white- i like to leave the natural color, keep in mind the small amount of heat radiating from the bulb, might cause the paint to peel.
February 7, 2011 at 6:07 am
Hello…I live in the Caribbean for over 20 yrs and supported myself by collecting, carving, decorating and selling beautiful one of a kind Higueras, in every size and shape. It was a labor of love as they are messy and extremely time consuming. I now live on the west central coast of Florida, and wondered if the trees grow here, or are they cold intolerant? I knew every tree on the small island where I lived(there were hundreds). Are the squash type gourds like the ones use to make Yerba Mate cups a viable alternative, as the Higueras were actually hard wood and could be used for cooking in a slow oven. If anyone has an answer for me, I am thinking of getting back into this. Thanks so much.
February 8, 2011 at 1:52 am
Hi kathleen,
talking with my husband, it appears that the Higuera, does not do well in cool regions. However, you may be able to get some in the warmer parts of Florida. There must be also some sort of native gourd that is the same as the Higuera native to florida. I think the skin of the squash/ gourd may be too soft and may loose too much water and shrivel to hold any form for too long. Best bet is to use the north american squash/gourd that are grown as ornamentals. check out ‘johnny seeds’ catalogue on the internet. they have a good selection offered. Hope this helped.
e.