If you’ve carved pumpkins for Halloween than you know it ain’t rocket science. Suzy Cashmere (of LA) snapped the photo from a yard in Eaglebrook and says “It’s the best I’ve seen”
Make your experience brighter … like this picture.
Advance planning is the key to your carving/ painting success. A carved pumpkin will last up to a week depending on the weather so …carve close to Halloween.
Choosing your pumpkin: Large , Medium or Small
- Large Pumpkins can be carved with most elaborate designs
- Medium sized ones work for carving or painting.
- Small pumpkins work best for carving traditional faces, they can be done fast and you can have many of them
Simple Tools: All you need is a large spoon or ice-cream scoop, a thin bladed knife and some newspaper.
Doin’ it
- Draw a circle on top of the pumpkin in preparation for making cutting a lid with an opening large enough for your hand to reach through. (of course this is all taking place on newspaper)
- Cut along the circle outline with a sharp knife using a back-and-forth slicing motion to cut through and remove the lid you just created , which will act as a cap.
- Scoop and scrape off any seeds or pulp from the lid and the inside of the pumpkin making sure you scrapped the bottom of the pumpkin flat so the candle you will insert will sit level in the pumpkin. Scrape the back wall as smooth as possible to reflect the light from your candle
- Draw your pattern with a felt-tip pen, or scribe the lines with a pencil. Make the features large enough for cutting. You know how tough it is from making the lid.
- When cleaning the pumpkin, save the seeds. Toasted pumpkin seeds are a great snack!
Lighting it
Plain white candles give off the most light. A Votive candle in a clear glass candle holder is safer and lasts longer.
Depending on your local weather conditions during the month of October, an un-treated, carved pumpkin can have a life span anywhere from a week to only a day.
And Now..for some Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Rinse the seeds & remove all the pulp. Spread the seeds on a cookie sheet and let them dry overnight.
Sprinkle with salt and bake in a pre-heated oven (250 F) Bake about 1 hour, tossing every 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown. Cool the seeds before eating.
A well carved pumpkin will impress trick-or-treaters!
Got some pictures of your own to tell us about?




























