With Halloween right around the corner pumpkin patches are popping up all around. Carving pumpkins is an enjoyable way to get in the Halloween spirit and a great activity to do with friends and family. If you are going to be venturing out to a pumpkin patch in the near future here are some important things to remember when picking out your pumpkins and preparing to carve them.
1. Pick out a firm one.
The firmer the better and the longer it will last. If you get one that is already slightly soft, it won’t last as long and will rot soon after carving it.
2. Wait to carve them until no earlier than a week before Halloween.
Last year a friend of mine and I carved them 2 weeks before Halloween and we had to dispose of them before Halloween even came around because they had started to rot the weekend before.
3. Use fake candles not real ones.
I used a real candle in my last pumpkin and put the top of the pumpkin back on it, not thinking that it would even be an issue. Minutes later, wind had blown the flame to hit the pumpkin sides, catching it on fire. Thankfully we caught it in time or it could’ve been a major disaster. Needless to say, I will be using battery operated fake candles from here on out.
4. Mix up the sizes of the pumpkins.
It is more visually appealing to have pumpkins of different sizes rather than all the same size, and the smaller ones are easier to hollow out.
5. Use pen, not marker.
Go online or get a stencil from a store, (I prefer online because its free and you have so many more choices, however, you can buy some good stencils from the stores too) and line the stencil up on the pumpkin and use a pen, not a black permanent marker, and draw the face that you want. The pen is better because you can still see the stencil when going to carve it, yet if you miss a little section or don’t carve it out 100% perfect (which most of us don’t do) it is less evident than if you used a black marker.
Hopefully these tips will help you become a successful pumpkin picker and carver. Good luck and happy Halloween!
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