Gourds are members of the Cucurbitaceae family, the same family that gives us cucumbers, melons, and squash. They have many uses, but food is not one of them. Gourds are virtually inedible, but when dried they can be very handy. Native people used them as water containers, ladles, seed holders, rattles, and drums.

Still popular today in the age of plastic, gourds have segued from useful to decorative, serving to bring color and shape to an otherwise drab location. Some come already decorated when removed from the vine, while others provide interesting surfaces for artistic expression.

Gourds in our area are among the last products of the garden and can now be seen at farmers markets. For a colorful collection and the stories that go with each type, see Zita Kwartek at the Black Hills Farmers Market in Rapid City. The market will be open Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through October.

The Black Hills Farmers Market, usually located at Founders Park on West Omaha Street in Rapid City, will move downtown to the Pumpkin Festival on September 24. The event features a giant pumpkin weighoff, a quilt show, musical entertainment, and activities for kids. The farmers market that day will be open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. For more information and the complete schedule click here.

Robin Bagley of Black Hills Local Foods sent us this post:

The Custer Farmers Market has moved to Way Park at the corner of 4th and Mt. Rushmore Road. Way Park is a handy location right on Custer’s main street (Mt. Rushmore Road). So don’t panic if you wind up at 7th and Crook Streets on Saturday morning, just grab some coffee to wake up and head west down main street.

Black Hills area farmers markets will be opening soon. Check out the list below to find a farmers market near you!

Custer (opens June 4^th)
The Custer Farmers Market is located at the corner of 4th Street and Mt. Rushmore Road on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hot Springs (opens July)
Tuma’s Farmer Market is one mile southeast of Hot Springs on Hwy. 18 on Saturdays from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Philip (opens mid-July)
The Philip Area Farmers Market is at Fire Hall Park on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

Rapid City

• The Black Hills Farmers Market (opens June 4^th) is at 1520 West Omaha Street in Founders Park (near the concrete fish sculpture).  It is open on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and will also be open on Tuesdays/Thursdays beginning in July.
• The Rapid City Open Air  Market (open year-round) is located in the parking lot on the south side of East Omaha Street, just east of Rapid Spa. Days vary.
• The Sheridan Lake Road Farmers Market (may be open this year during the growing season) is several miles south of Rapid City in the lower parking lot of the Athletic Club on 7800 Alberta Drive. A sign on Sheridan Lake Road will indicate that this market is open.
• The Main Street Square Farmers Market in downtown Rapid City will open in May 2012.

Spearfish (opens June 5^th)
The Spearfish Market in the Park is at City Park (Centennial Park) on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Sturgis (opens May 21^st)
The Sturgis Main Street Market is at the 1100 block of Main Street (next to Weimer’s Diner & Donuts) on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.  The market will be open until July 16^th when it will close for the motorcycle rally and will re-open in mid-August.

Lyn and Donna Miller of Harmony Food and Produce Company sent us information about their 2011 Community Supported Agriculture options. (That’s when you pay upfront for weekly deliveries of farm products.) Deliveries will be made to Rapid City homes and businesses and to Chadron and Crawford.

With high tunnel greenhouses Lyn and Donna have extended their produce growing season and are moving toward turkey production and pastured beef. They produce chemical-free food in a sustainable way on their Chadron farm and offer it by way of CSAs and at the Black Hills Farmers market in Rapid City. You can sign up for a June–August CSA or August through October. For those who wish to place smaller orders, eggs, chickens, and honey may be ordered by email or online.

For more information go to the Harmony website and click on Newsletter.