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By: Linda K. Bowman, Ext. Agt. IV - Family & Consumer Sciences
Telephone: 850/623-3868 or 939-1259,
ext. 1360
Pumpkin Carving
Tips
Selecting
the pumpkins you'll carve for your Halloween Jack-O'-Lanterns is very
important. You'll need to pick pumpkins according to what you want to carve on
them.
Whether
it's simply carving a pumpkin to sit on the door step or holding pumpkin
carving parties and contests, this age old tradition is a main event for
young and old alike.
Depending
on the variety, pumpkins can range in size anywhere from tiny to humongous.
Medium sized ones work best for most stencils that you'll make or buy. Very
large pumpkins can be carved with elaborate designs and used as "center
pieces" on your porch or tables. Small pumpkins work fine for carving
traditional faces, they can be done fast and you can have many of them
scattered about for parties, haunts or up your sidewalk as a lighted pathway.
Advance planning is the key to your
pumpkin carving success
First,
decide before buying your pumpkins what designs you will be carving into them.
This will allow you to create a shopping list or at least a mental idea of the
shapes and sizes of pumpkins you'll need.
For standard carving
without a stencil, decide if it should be tall and narrow, or more rounded,
based on your ideas. Select pumpkins that are uniformly orange meaning that
they are ripe, have no bruises, cuts or nicks.
If
you will be using a stencil to carve your pumpkin, select a pumpkin that is
large enough and as close to the same shape as the pattern you're going to
carve. It should be as smooth as possible, and free of scratches, dents or
gouges.
Following are some carving tips:
• Draw your design on the pumpkin with a water-based marker
beforehand. Mistakes are erased easily with a damp sponge.
• Cut the top and any large areas with a sharp,
straight-edged knife. A dull blade is not a safer alternative.
• Serrated metal saws, now widely available in carving kits,
are a safer alternative to knives and allow younger children to get in on the
action.
• Carve away from yourself; kids should carve only under
adult supervision.
• Never hold the knife in a stabbing position.
• When carving, keep a portion of the knife blade in the
pumpkin and use slow, steady saw strokes.
• Cut the lid at an angle so the outside diameter is larger
than the inside. This prevents the top from falling into the pumpkin when it
shrinks.
• Scoop out seeds and stringy flesh with a large spoon or ice
cream scooper.
• Carve the facial features closest to the center first and
work outward. Cut out the larger features in sections.
• Use an X-Acto knife for details
and the tip of a potato peeler to make small circles and curves.
• Remove carved portions by gently pushing them into or out
of the pumpkin.
• Reattach a section that is accidentally removed by using a
toothpick to pin it back in place.
• Make design holes large enough to provide adequate
ventilation for the candle.
• Flatten a spot in the base of the pumpkin for the candle
but avoid digging too deep because the pumpkin becomes prone to rot.
• Make sure the flame is not too close to the top of the
pumpkin.
• To prolong the life of the jack-o'-lantern, seal in
moisture by coating all cut surfaces with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil, or
cover it with a damp towel when not on display.
• Consider giving smaller children stickers, tempera paint,
or markers to decorate their own pumpkins.
For more information or if
you have a question, call
Extension Service programs
are open to all people without regard to race, color, sex, age, handicap or
national origin. The use of trade names
in this article is solely for the purpose of providing specific
information. It is not a guarantee,
warranty, or endorsement of the product name(s) and does not signify that they
are approved to the exclusion of others.