Carving up the Great Pumpkin
A couple years ago, when I think my husband and I were still just dating, I got it into my head that I really wanted to carve a pumpkin. It was only a day or two before Halloween, so I was sure it wouldn't be any trouble to just go out and buy a pumpkin. Heh. Many stores and a few hours later, we gave up the search. It seems there was a run on pumpkins that year, and I never got to carve my pumpkin. I was broken-hearted.
So this year, as we were walking through the grocery store today, we jumped at getting a beautiful pumpkin for only $3.99. I thought I would look around for some tips to share before we started cutting.
Here's what I've gleaned from several Web sites and magazine articles:
— Wash your hands, tools, and pumpkin in anti-bacterial soap before you carve. This will help prevent mold. Once mold starts ona pumpkin, there is nothing you can do to save it.
— Prolong a carved pumpkin's life by rubbing the inside of the shell and cut areas with petroleum jelly.
— Set the pumpkin on layers of newspaper before carving. It makes clean-up a breeze.
— Avoid creating large open spaces or very long horizontal cuts. They weaken the pumpkin at the bottom and can make it fall faster than the Burlington Industries headquarters.
— To prevent a fire, use battery-operated candles to light the pumpkin. I've seen special ones at Target just for this purpose.
— Small children can make jack-o'-lantern faces by attaching vegetables, fruit or candy with toothpicks instead of cutting. I saw some great gourds of different sizes and shapes at the supermarket that would be perfect for a witch's nose or monster's bulging eyes.
— If the pumpkin starts to shrivel, soak it in a sink full of water with a cap full of bleach. Soak for atleast an hour. The longer the better. It will revive the pumpkin to almost as good as new and the bleach also helps prevent the mold. After you have soaked the pumpkin, make sure you thoroughly dry it inside and out! The water is breeding grounds for the mold.
I'm planning to use a pattern this year to make something a little more intricate than the typical Jack 'O Lantern. (Which is just creepy, really.) I'm thinking R2-D2. There are a ton of free patterns on this site that are high quality -- and if you give it a shot, please send me pictures!
Of course, if you want to get a little crazy, check out Extreme Pumpking Carving. Not for the faint of heart. For those who don't want to get all messy or who want to carve a pumpkin while at work, check out this page.
Comments (1)
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My tip for carving pumpkins is don't use your best knife! My only expensive knife is now a cleaver.
Posted on October 16, 2005 10:19 AM