Our newly retired birds & bees are now 25% OFF! These gourds will make a lovely addition to your Spring decor.

Orange Tweeter Bird:

Retail Customers receive 25% off while supplies last. (Regular retail price: $14.49)

Wholesale customers buy 2 and get the 3rd one free while supplies last! (free items will be included at the time of shipping. For every 2 items a wholesale customer purchases we will ship 1 extra item, while supplies last).

These little birds are sure to put a smile on your face. They are approximately 5 inches tall. Each one is sitting on a grapevine nest.

Click here to start shopping.

Signature Series Bumble Bee Gourds (Pumpkin Spice & Black):

Retail Customers: 25% off while supplies last. (Regular retail price: $36.99)

Wholesale customers buy 2 and get the 3rd one free while supplies last! (free items will be included at the time of shipping. For every 2 items a wholesale customer purchases we will ship 1 extra item, while supplies last).

Our Signature Series Bumble Bees are perfect for your spring collection. Choose from black or pumpkin spice color; comes with an amber electric light. Approximately 5 inches in diameter. Each piece is signed by the master crafter who created the gourd.

Click here to purchase the Black Bumble Bee Gourd.

Click here to purchase the Pumpkin Spice Bumble Bee Gourd.

Sometimes when we don’t plant enough of a particular gourd variety the year before, the need arises to speed dry the gourds in our greenhouse in order to use them sooner. When our inventory of raw, dried gourds is gone we just can’t wait for spring to come and the gourds to dry outside. Instead, we bring them in to be speed dried. This allows us to craft them about two months sooner than naturally drying them outside during the winter.

This particular circumstance is occurring with the pictured gourds.

The white spots in the picture are not snow – they are mold. It is critical to allow this mold to cover most of the gourd . If a gourd is dry before the mold has broken down the skin, the skin literally super glues itself to the shell and creates a nightmare for our washers.

First step:  Freeze the gourds.
Second step: Mold the skin.
Third step: Place in a hot, dry room and hold your nose!
Final step: Wash all the mold and skin away with ease.

It’s fascinating how ugly these gourds need to get before we can turn them into something beautiful.  In about a month these moldy gourds will be shiny Christmas tree ornaments!

We are very excited about February’s product of the month  – Gloria bunnies!

The bunnies pictured below are as a result of our designer’s effort to create this new product. Ben does the cutting and putting together, Ashley critiques them and adds color, then Denise adds the bows and finishing touches.

It all starts with the idea to create a new bunny. Our goal is always to reinvent ourselves and innovate what we currently produce. As we start to make them, each one takes on a personality of their own. Some creations turn out worse than we expect and some better. The bad ideas head for the trash and the very best ideas go into production. We are then left with one of a kind gourds looking for a home. The next hop for these bunnies will be to our retail store as the February product of the month!

The finished Gloria bunnies…

Our Gloria gourd bunnies will be available February 1st! We are holding a pre-order sale right now! Read more about the sale here.

Right now we are offering two great sales on select Meadowbrooke bunnies!

Our retiring Kourtney line is 25% Off (while supplies last!)

These grey bunnies have a white belly and a bright colored bow. The Large Lit, Medium Tall Lit and Large Tall Lit come with an electric light. The large tall lit is approximately 26-30″ tall. Shop the Kourtney collection on clearance.

February Product of The Month: Gloria

Pre-order your Gloria bunnies today!

Available February 1st, 2013. This sale is a pre-order only sale, to qualify for sale pricing your order must be placed by February 1st, 2013.

Retail customers get 10% off. Regular retail price is $26.99.

Introducing Gloria, our new springtime bunny. Gloria is available in 3 styles, all featuring our new brown bunny head with a bright bow. The warty gourd bunnies are available in purple or orange and are about 5” in diameter. The tall brown bunny has a natural colored belly and is about 12” tall. These bunnies are excited to be added to your spring décor. They will be shipped out at the beginning of February. Purchase Gloria Here.

For those that have visited The Meadowbrooke Farm and Retail Store in the past few months you would have noticed that we are under construction! Everyone is very excited for the plans for our production and shipping areas, as well as our retail store. We really think you will like the changes.

This is a picture of the new wall that is still under construction. The wall isn’t even done yet and little Lucy has already picked her spot. Although she is a dog, she thinks like a cat and likes to find a perch up high so that she can supervise. She does come down when it’s time to eat and for the UPS delivery person since he always carries bones.

This wall separates our shipping room from our retail space. Now Nathan will be able to enjoy his music while he ships and our customers will have a nice, quiet shopping experience. The other side of this wall is going to be a surprise!

This picture below is of our retail store under renovation. The posts and beams are the beginning of  building a barn from the inside out! Normally you would place the posts and beams then add the roof and walls, however the building was built ten years ago and we are just now adding the beams. We really think all our customers will love the new store when we are done. We are getting great comments and are only 25% done!

Our gourd crop has been under snow for several weeks and we went for a walk to inspect them. We were please to find them happy as ever and starting to dry nicely. This time of year always has us anxious for spring when it’s time to gather them up. We also took along some buddies to help. The little one is Lucy – she has a great nose for rodents that may be enjoying the gourds from the bottom side. If it were up to her, we would check the field for mice everyday!

We are so thrilled to have been participants in the 2012 Claus Cause.

This effort, created and organized by 717 Studios in Carlisle, unites local businesses to raise a donation together for Project Share through sales and events. Meadowbrooke Gourds participated through our online and in-store Silent Auction and was able to donate $591.91 to Project Share. Thank you to our great customers for helping us help those in need!

The Claus Cause raised a total of $5,111.81, which it presented to Project SHARE on Thursday, Dec. 20.

Read more about the 2012 Claus Cause in The Sentinel.

Here are some photos of the one-of-a-kind gourds we auctioned off during the Silent Auction:

 Thank you again to everyone that participated this holiday season!

Thank you to everyone that attended our Create Your Own Gourd Workshop held during our Winter Open House weekends!

Here are a few photos of the event.

Be sure to “like” our Facebook page for future event updates!

We’re pleased to introduce our latest product, which just happens to be our December Product of the Month – Our Limited Edition Winter Hanging Snowman.

It is 7″ wide and 9″ high. Let this Winter Hanging Snowman welcome your guests and family this Winter season.

Winter Hanging Snowman in our Retail Store!

Click here to purchase!

On December 8th, we will be holding our Silent Auction in the Meadowbrooke Gourds’  Retail Store. Can’t attend? Don’t worry! You can place your Silent Auction bids online! Bidding will close on Dec. 8th at 8pm. A portion of the proceeds will go to Project Share as part of the Claus Cause.

Here are the rules and everything you need to know about the online Silent Auction. Bidding begins on December 6th!