But Ingall was set on the idea: “I had a pretty romantic idea of what it would be like farming and living in the countryside … I loved farming probably because I farmed at a time of relatively little state interference, with a predictable climate.” Even after 45 years, “the romance never left”.
Over that period, Ingall’s establishment evolved gradually through 15 years of intensive dairy farming to less intensive beef farming, then arable farming, organic farming and now, under his son’s supervision, to rewilding.
It was while touring Mississippi in an old RV that John Ingall and his wife, Jane, first spotted the plant that would change their lives: the hardshell gourd, a plump, squash-like fruit with a thick, woody skin.
After that, they saw them almost everywhere they went: carved gourds in porches, hanging gourds, gourds reimagined as lanterns and bird boxes.
As well as selling gourds through his personal studio, Ingall markets them at art fairs, donating profits to fight the climate crisis.
