Pumpkin Carving

There are no hard and fast rules for carving the perfect jack-o-lantern, but we do have a few tips and suggestions that might make the task easier and potentially spark your pumpkin carving imagination. Even if you have never carved a pumpkin before, we are pretty sure you can figure the basics out. We won't insult your intelligence by listing every elementary step as if you were born yesterday but we will give you some guidance as to the techniques and tools that work best when cutting up that big orange ball of fun!

Picking a Pumpkin to Carve

Before you can carve a pumpkin, you need to have a pumpkin, right? Whether you get your pumpkin from a huge bin in front of the grocery store, or whether you tromp through a muddy field at a local farm to find your pumpkin, there are a few things to keep in mind when picking one out. Pumpkins with stems are generally considered better than those without. Not because they make prettier tops to your jack-o-lantern, but because a pumpkin without a stem may already be in decline. But there are certainly other reasons why a pumpkin might be stemless. For instance, small children might break them off when they take the stem to be more of a handle on a giant orange shot-put as they try to swing the pumpkin around in their Halloween pumpkin picking euphoria. Or they may break off if a group of picked pumpkins are rolled around when shipping or being displayed.

There's no reason you can't choose a pumpkin that has no stem, but be aware it might be a sign the pumpkin is not at its freshest. Use your best judgment when evaluating the pumpkin. If there are bruises or soft spots, you're looking at an already rotting pumpkin. Check the bottom as well. Cracks in the bottom can mean moisture is reaching the inside and the pumpkin is well on its way to becoming a stinky, slimy mess. Of course, no pumpkin lasts forever, but you at least want your masterpiece to make it to Halloween night!

Keep in mind when picking a pumpkin that the weight of your squash it directly related to the thickness of its walls, not just the actual height and girth of the thing. Wall thickness might matter if you have a specific design or technique in mind. If you need thick walls for your creation, choose a pumpkin that is on the heavier side for its size. Generally, heavy equals thicker walls, not more guts.

Some people say that pumpkins which are round and smooth are ideal. We say phooey! Don't be trapped in a mundane, blasé, jack-o-lantern clone mindset! Use your imagination when picking a pumpkin. If round and smooth is what you like best, then go for it, but don't shy away from the rough and oblong just because you think the neighbors won't approve! Use the unique textures and lumps of misshapen pumpkins to create fascinating jack-o-lanterns that will be the envy of the neighborhood. Incorporate the odd characteristics of less-than-perfect pumpkins in to your design. Make a warty, scar faced witch out of a crusty skinned pumpkin or a freaky, one-eyed, smiling ghoul out of a lopsided squash. Whatever shape you pick, just make sure it's not already rotting (unless decaying is the look you are going for)!

Carving a Jack-O-Lantern

Gutting Your Pumpkin

So now you have your pumpkin and you want to turn it in to a jack-o-lantern. First you are going to need to open the pumpkin up and remove the extraneous seeds and stringy pumpkin innards (pumpkin guts) before you start working on your design. Most people cut the top of the pumpkin out around the stem area to gain access to the guts. The cut out top later doubles as a lid when you insert a candle in to your carved pumpkin.

While the circular top cut around the stem is the most common, it isn't the only way to open your pumpkin for gutting or candle access. Try cutting a hole in the side, back, or bottom to open the pumpkin up and create a way to light your creation. With a hole in the side or back you can easily place a candle inside and avoid burning yourself when you try to stick your hand or candle in from the top. Side and back holes can be incorporated in to certain designs as well. But if the side or back hole lets too much light escape for your taste, go with the bottom hole. With a hole cut in the bottom, you simply set the pumpkin over a candle or light, no lid to deal with, no excessive escaping light. With the side, back, and bottom hole design, don't forget to cut a small smoke hole or slit in the top of the pumpkin if you are using candle light.

Which ever type of access hole you decided on, use a long, thin knife to cut it or a pumpkin cutting tool. If you use a knife, use a saw-like or up and down motion when cutting without letting the knife come all the way out. Pumpkin cutting tools are by far the safer choice and give you superior control compared to a knife. If you decide on the more traditional top cut, angle your tool or knife inward slightly so that the top will sit back on the pumpkin without falling in (like it would if the cut were straight up and down).

If you decide on the tradition top hole design for your pumpkin, try cutting a shape more unusual than a perfect circle to create the lid. Experiment with a wavy edged, jagged, or geometric shaped holes. Not only will this help you know which direction the lid fits on perfectly but it also creates a neat effect if you cant the lid or don't fit it back on in the exact right position (on purpose). Light escapes around the edges of the lid, adding to your design and creating interest. This effect is harder to achieve with a uniform circular top cut. If you prefer to have a perfectly fitted lid, don't forget to cut a small hole or slit in the lid to let smoke escape.

After you decide how to open up your pumpkin, you are ready to hollow it out. To clean out the pumpkin guts, a sturdy, large metal or plastic spoon works well. You are probably going to have to get your hands dirty and just dig in to remove some of the loose and suspended seeds and stringy guts, but for the goop stuck to the walls, something that scrapes well works best. There are lots of pumpkin carving kits out there that include some sort of scraping device. Some are spoon like, some are flat and more spatula like. Figure out what type of utensil or tool works best for you and your scraping style and use that. If the walls of your pumpkin are too thick for your design, scraping tools also come in handy for thinning them out.

Carving and Sculpting Your Pumpkin

Now that your pumpkin has been hollowed out, you need to carve a face (or whatever you want) on the pumpkin to transform it in to a jack-o-lantern. The main key to great pumpkin carving is creativity, practice, and experimentation. You'll probably need to cut one or two to get a feel for carving pumpkins and being creative helps with design, but mostly you'll just need to experiment with different tools and ideas to find what works for you. There are several ways to go about carving a pumpkin and a variety of common tool types to choose from. The most widely used cutting tools are your basic kitchen knife or pumpkin cutting tools found in a store bought carving kit. For most people, the pumpkin cutting tools you find in a kit are much easier to use and safer than a kitchen knife. Kits usually come with a couple different sizes of the tiny, saw-toothed cutters which are generally not sharp yet surprisingly effective at carving a pumpkin.

Some choose to sculpt their pumpkins, transforming all or part of their design on the pumpkin wall in to a three dimensional face without cutting through completely to the inside. With this type of design the jack-o-lantern is equally effective displayed lit or unlit. When lit from inside, the thinned walls of the sculpted pumpkin design are illuminated at varying degrees, giving the design more of a glowing feel as opposed to the traditional light spilling holes of a face carved all the way through. To create this effect, use anything that works to cut and scrap away at the outer pumpkin surface, such as traditional sculpting tools used for clay as well as spoons, sticks, dinner knives, and pumpkin cutting tools.

If you are artistic or just feeling creative, you can carve by freehand. No need to draw your design on the pumpkin or use a stencil. Just start cutting. However, most people prefer to draw their design on to the pumpkin before cutting. Many pumpkin cutting kits include markers for this purpose. Grease pencils, china markers, or any water based pen will also work. You can create your own design or use a stencil to draw a design on the pumpkin. With a stencil, you could also tape it on and cut it out, but you run the risk of cutting your stencil as well as the pumpkin, or having the stencil shift positions while carving. Pumpkin carving kits many times include stencils and tons of stencils to download and print can be found on the internet as well. The little saw-toothed pumpkin cutting tools are the best choice for cutting intricate stencil designs.

Once you start cutting your design out, we have a few tips that can help make the carving process easier. Use the pumpkin cutting tools like a saw. That is, poke the tool in the pumpkin and then move it back and forth in a sawing motion without pulling the blade completely out of the pumpkin. The same type of motion is suggested for kitchen knives (try one with a serrated edge), but they are often much harder to maneuver and more prone to sticking. If you are cutting a large section out, try removing it in pieces. Cut across large parts to make smaller sections to take out. If you accidentally cut a part of your design off, use a toothpick to stick it back on.

Now that you have your design cut out, it's time to light it up and see how great it turned out. There are several ways to do this. You can usually find battery powered "candles" at craft stores or where you buy carving kits. They usually flicker so they appear like real candles and do a decent job of lighting the pumpkin up. Or you can insert some other type of electric light source such as a light bulb or string light. Just be aware of how hot your light source might get. You don't want to create a dangerous situation or completely fry your pumpkin! If you enjoy the traditional method, use tea lights or short candles to light your pumpkin. If you are using candles, try putting foil on the bottom of your lid (and include a smoke hole through the top) to resist burning and help preserve your pumpkin. If you like the smell of cooking pumpkin that comes with the candles (and no foil), try adding pumpkin spice to the bottom of the lid. Tantalize your neighbor's senses with your heated pumpkins that smell like baking pumpkin pie!

Preserving Your Jack-O-Lantern

No jack-o-lantern lasts forever, but there are tricks you can use to try and extend the life of your carved pumpkin. You'll probably want to carve your pumpkins as close to Halloween as possible to ensure they aren't a pile of mush by the time trick-or-treaters come around, but if you decide to cut them early or just want them to last as long as possible after the holiday, try some of these preservation suggestions:

Petroleum Jelly – You can coat the cut surfaces of your jack-o-lantern to help preserve the pumpkin. This keeps air from drying the pumpkin out. Some say to coat the entire inside, as well as the cut surfaces, while others say this could be a fire hazard. Either way, it's a goopy job!

Spray on Preservative – This one is probably the easiest and least messy method for preserving pumpkins. You can usually find preservative spray where you buy pumpkin carving kits. Just spray the inside of the pumpkin and the cut edges to slow drying and deter mold and fungal growth.

Rehydrate Pumpkin – Pumpkins are mostly water so when they are cut, the air dries them out and they shrivel. Rehydrating your pumpkin can keep it plump longer. There are several ways to do this, some messier than others. You can soak your pumpkin in water or a pickling/preservative solution overnight. You might find pumpkin dunk solutions were you buy carving kits. An easier solution, you can place a wet towel over the pumpkin overnight. If you don't want to dunk your pumpkin but want something that preserves a little better than the wet towel alone, you can combine the wet towel with bagging. Get the pumpkin moist or cover with a wet towel and then place in a bag to rehydrate.

Refrigeration – If you have a large refrigerator you can put your pumpkin in there to help preserve it. The cold helps slow mold and fungal growth. Combine refrigeration with adding moisture by dampening and bagging your pumpkin and you can preserve it even longer.

Anti-Fungal Substances – Along with lack of moisture, pumpkins deteriorate from mold and fungal growth. Some of this might be slowed by applying things to deter this growth. The commercial pumpkin preservative sprays contain anti-fungal ingredients but if you want to try things you might have around the house here are a few suggestions. Lemon juice can be spread over the cut surfaces and the inside of the pumpkin. You can spray Athlete's foot spray (which is an anti-fungal) in the pumpkin. Some also suggest using rubbing alcohol, although it would also have a drying effect and might be a fire hazard if you spray it near a lit candle or shortly before lighting the candle.

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