Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins (Post 72)

If you would like to start your own ten cent crazy book – read post 1-4 to find out how

Ok, it’s time to buy those pumpkins – whether you’re going to carve them or just sit them out in front of the house or on a kitchen counter or next to the fireplace, there are pumpkins everywhere you look. Find whatever pumpkin makes you feel happy – maybe it’s putting a pumpkin on every step – ranging in size from large too small or just one great big jolly pumpkin.
Pumpkins last a really long time if the weather is cool, and you don’t carve them – they can easily look good from Halloween until Thanksgiving.

If you do plan on carving your pumpkin into a jack-o’-lantern – here are some tips to add to your ten cent crazy book.

Before you get out the knife – think about it

If you carve your pumpkin, more than a week before Halloween – you will probably have gnats everywhere by time the trick or treating starts

Know what kind of face you want to give your pumpkin

Draw it on a piece of paper – really like it

Remember if you make cuts between the mouth and nose to close to each other your pumpkin may crack and fall apart

Buy the right pumpkin

Sometimes a malformed pumpkin will cost less, but if you get a big pumpkin with a flat side and a large stem – you can always lay it on its side and display the stem as the pumpkins nose

Before carving – set your pumpkin on plenty of newspaper

Your knife should be long enough to cut through the shell but not go through the other side of the pumpkin

Draw your face on with a pencil

Do you want round or triangle eyes?

If you keep the pieces you cut out, you can use a couple of bread ties and make your pumpkin look like he has floating eyeballs by cutting out and attaching round eyeballs with the wires from the bread ties on the inside of the pumpkin

Do you want eyebrows to give him character or make him look mean?

Do you want a circle mouth, making the pumpkin look afraid or jagged teeth to make him mean or square teeth and a big smile? – straw added to square teeth can make him look like he has braces

Draw a circle and carve your lid on an inward angle – so the lid will not fall inside the pumpkin

Turn the pumpkin on its side and remove the insides of the pumpkin.
My pumpkins insides go straight into the trash – but some people use them for pies, soups or toast the seeds

Scooping out the insides is not always an easy job – most of the insides - you can get out with your hands and then I suggest you use an ice cream scoop – scrape the inside of the lid also

Now, carve the face at an angle to make the holes on the inside of the pumpkin wider than the outside holes

Sprinkle carved pumpkin with ground cinnamon - to make it last longer and smell good

All Done – I hope you and others enjoy your pumpkins

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