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Pumpkin Carving
By Peace | October 18, 2006
Pumpkin carving is one of the fun traditions of Halloween. It usually takes the form of a party or a family event, and is frequently finished off with some hot, crisp pumpkin seeds fresh out of the oven.
Preparation and cleaning
When selecting pumpkins for carving, lighter colored ones carve easier, as they are softer. The downside is they do not last as long. Pick a pumpkin with a nice stem and a carvable face.
Clean the pumpkins off outside by washing them off with plain water and a sponge. Allow to dry. Keep the pumpkin outside, or in a cool place, until you are ready to carve it.
Cut open the top of the pumpkin and clean out the inside seeds and and guts. Be careful not to pull hard on the stem as it breaks easily.
Carving
Select your design. Keep the design simple The fewer curves, angles, and cuts, the better the result.
We recommend a pumpkin carving knife. It is designed for carving pumpkins, and is less likely to cause injury.
Once you have mastered carving a pumpkin, you can graduate to a pumpkin carving design, or create your own. There are a wide variety of designs and are limited only by your imagination. To use a design,:
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Buy or make your own.
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Pick one that is sized for your pumpkin. Enlarge or shrink it on a copier if need be.
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Transfer the design to the pumpkin. You can trace it with a small knife, a nail, a marker or a pencil.
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Slowly begin to cut out the pattern.
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Slow is the operative word, as a mistake in carving can alter or ruin the outcome.
Pumpkin Car
ving Tips
Select a pumpkin that is ripe, has no bruises, cuts or nicks. Do not carry a pumpkin by its stem; it may break, and do not bruise it as it will not last as long. For easy cleanup, place your pumpkin on several layers of newspaper before carving.
Make sure the hole is large enough to reach in and pull out the seeds and stringy membrane. The bottom of the pumpkin could also be cut off instead, this will allow the pumpkin to sit up straight and make removing the seeds easier! When cleaning out the pumpkin, use and old soup ladle to get out the seeds. Try carving a giant pumpkin, it is easier to carve than a regular pumpkin.
Examine your pumpkin to determine the best place to carve his or her face. Draw an outline of a face on a plain sheet of white paper (use simple bold features), or print one of our handy Jack O’Lantern templates (samples of the templates surround these instructions - click on any of the images to go to the full-sized print-ready template). Tape your paper to the pumpkin where you want the face to be. Score the design onto the pumpkin by punching through the paper into the pumpkin with a large nail or pin.
Carefully cut out the design following the holes that were “punched” with your plastic knife. When you are finished cutting, simply push out the pieces to view the final results. Now you’re all set to light up your home on Halloween night!
Safety tips:
Here are some simple tips which will help to make your pumpkin carving safe:
- Do not let a young child use a knife.
- Always point knives away from you.
- Keep your free hand away from the direction of the knife.
- Use slicing motions and never force the knife.
- When using candles to light your Jack O’Lantern, do not leave it unattended. For indoor lighting, we reccomend battery operated lights.
Life Span
Depending on your local weather conditions during the month of October, an un-treated, carved pumpkin can have a life span any were of from a week to only a day.
The best way to make a carved pumpkin last longer is to slow down the dehydration process and deter the on-set of mold. When pumpkins shrivel up, it’s because they have lost moisture.
You can sometimes restore them back to their original condition by soaking them in water overnight.
One technique is to coat all cut surfaces of the pumpkin with petroleum jelly immediately after they have been carved. This includes a light coating of the entire inside of the pumpkin. If you can’t do the whole inside, at least try to coat the design that you’ve cut into the pumpkin.
The petroleum jelly acts as a barrier to seal in the pumpkins internal moisture to help slow down the dehydration process of the pumpkin. You can use a finger to coat the eyes, nose and mouth but you may want to use a paper towel with jelly on it to coat the inside. It’s less messy that way.
Another way to keep them fresh is to use a pumpkin dip that is available at most grocery stores or stands that sell pumpkins during the Halloween season. Pumpkin dip is mixed with water in a large container and the pumpkins are submerged in it, sometimes over night, in order to preserve them. This is a tedious and messy way to keep your pumpkins fresh as you have to do it every night after they have been carved.
