There are a lot of people afraid of getting mold in their yerba mate gourds, to the point that they avoid using calabashes altogether.
But in reality, it’s usually very easy to prevent.
In this post, we’re going to look at what mold actually looks like inside a mate gourd using real examples, how to get rid of it if you ever come across it, and how to make sure it doesn't come back.
Over the years of drinking mate, I’ve only dealt with 2 moldy gourds.
And both times, it could have easily been prevented with what I’m about to share with you.
But first, let’s figure out whether you’re actually dealing with mold by looking inside a few gourds.
What Mold In A Mate Gourd Actually Looks Like
Mold happens as a result of moisture. And similarly to how you see it on something like white bread, it's the same in a gourd.
Mold will appear on the surface of the walls as fuzzy white or green spots. You'll also know for sure if it's mold if the spot can be easily scratched off with your finger. Oftentimes, it will also be accompanied by a foul, sour odor. And the walls of your gourd will likely still be damp.
If all of these check out, you can count on it being mold.
But what about yerba mate stains?
Stains, on the other hand, cannot be removed. The calabash itself is colored and no matter what you do, you can't scratch it or rinse it off. Stains are normal and happen due to the steeped yerba being absorbed into the calabash and oxidizing.
For further clarity, here are some images of mold in a gourd versus staining.
This calabash gourd was just cured, and unfortunately, this is in fact mold. And it’s not a pretty sight.
Now, the mold isn’t the green or black you see stained on the inside. That’s from the yerba mate when it was being cured. The mold is the white fuzzy, hair-like specks in the middle. If you zoom in on the picture, you can see it right below the stem in the center, as well as on the left-hand side.
This is a palo santo gourd that was used 2-3 times and developed this white spot. And it’s been reappearing even after it’s been wiped it off. And worse, it’s growing!
It’s hard to see in the picture but if you zoom in, you can almost see the fuzziness. Plus, if what he or she is saying is true, then it’s mold. The other white specks and green spots on the gourd are the natural grain of the wood as well as some staining from the yerba.
This calabash was used once and this happened. With a glance, most would think this is mold, but it’s not.
As you can see, there are no fuzzy spots. Only spots of varying shades of green. This is staining from the yerba. Seeing this after one use can be scary though, but it’s completely normal.
This is a gourd with white spots that was cured (likely with just water) and dried. But this is not mold. This is actually just excess plant material of the gourd which should've been scraped off when curing.
How To Get Rid Of Mold In Mate Gourds
It's worth noting that no matter what you do, you likely cannot remove mold from your gourd 100%.
Although the safest bet is to simply trash it, you must decide yourself on how comfortable you are with using it afterwards. With that said, let's begin!
Step 1:Grab your gourd, lemon juice, and start heating water
This method simply calls for steeping your gourd with boiling water and lemon juice.
Step 2: Fill your gourd with boiling water
Fill until the entire calabash is submergeed. Then squeeze in some lemon juice.
Step 3: Let it steep for 30 minutes
We want the interior walls to saturate as much as possible since mold goes deeper than just the surface.
Step 4: Scrape the walls with a spoon
Once times up, pour out the water and start scraping the inside with a spoon.Don’t be too gentle here, but don’t be too rough either.
Step 5: Give it a good rinse and cure
Rinse the interior out of any leftover debris from scraping. Then start the initial curing process again with hot water and yerba. You can read our guide on how to cure a mate gourd here.
Step 6: Repeat steps 1-5 as many times as needed
Again, this is all up to your personal comfortability. If you feel repeating these steps again is more "safe", then by all means.
Now, getting rid of mold in your mate gourd isn’t enough. You want to keep it out for good!
How To Prevent Mold For Good
To prevent mold from growing in your gourd in the first place, you need to store them correctly.
Remember, mold grows best in warm, dark, humid areas. This is where you DON’T want to keep your gourds. After cleaning your gourd of mold and after every use, store your gourd in a sunny, cool, dry area and you’ll never have to deal with mold again
Even better, if you purchase a small USB desktop fan and have it blowing inside for a few hours. This is the most fool-proof way to never encounter mold and is what I've been doing for years now. Our followers have also gotten one themselves and have found it to be a lifesaver as well.
Now I know everyone can’t store their gourd in this environment because some live where it just isn’t possible.
But that’s no problem.
There are several materials that are mold-resistant such as stainless steel, ceramic, glass, and silicone.
If you want a stainless steel gourd to avoid any potential headache,shop our mate gourds.
