Choosing the perfect pumpkin to carve a Halloween lantern ultimately comes down to your preference.
However, there are a few factors to consider before grabbing one.
“We try to get seeds that give us a nice, dark orange pumpkin with a thick stem, and that seems to sell the best,” said Kevin King, co-owner of Kingsway Pumpkin Farm near Hartville.
Kingsway, a multigenerational business now in its 32nd season, grows pumpkins on 50 acres. It offers pre-picked and pre-picked pumpkins. The family business, started in 1990 on a small plot of land, has become a Northeast Ohio Halloween staple.
Continuing, King said, “Then again, you take people out into the field and there’s a lot of people who bring things that you’re going to think, ‘That’s an ugly pumpkin.’ But if a kid catches it, that’s what they’re buying.”
And that’s okay.
Because, King said, the perfect pumpkin doesn’t have to look good; but check for these features:
- It should have a good stem. Don’t choose a pumpkin that has no stem or is fragile enough to break. “The stem will dry out the longer it’s off the vine, and we still let people remove the vine,” King said.
- No dust. None soft. “A dry stem is usually good. A soft stem is a sign of a bad pumpkin because it’s gotten too much water and the inside isn’t great,” he said.
- The older the imperfection, the better. “If there’s a spot on it and it’s dry, scratchy, that pumpkin is probably fine,” King said. If the site is new or open, he said, you should choose a different pumpkin. “That will rot faster.”
- It should stand straight. King said a flat-bottomed pumpkin won’t “fall off.”
How long a pumpkin lasts depends
Dussel Farms in Kent, opened in 1948, has been selling pumpkins since 1985 – on 20 acres.
Co-owner Linda Dussel said the longevity of a pumpkin, especially carved ones, depends on several factors, and the color of the stem plays a role. She said a pumpkin with a green stem will last longer than one with a brown stem.
“If it’s brown, it’ll last you a week or two,” Dussel said. “It won’t last a month.”
She also said that a pumpkin, once carved, lasts a week before it starts to rot and mold. And the soft spots King mentioned, Dussel said, are another indication that the pumpkin is already dying and may not even last a week.
“Hot weather also makes a difference,” Dussel said. “If it’s really hot, they’ll break down faster.”
Dussel offered some tips for delaying the death of pumpkins:
- Seal the moisture. After carving, apply vegetable oil, petroleum jelly, or hairspray to create a seal at the edges. This will extend the life of the pumpkins.
- Ventilate. If you use a real candle, be sure to carve a hole or two for ventilation. Without them, the candle is “cooking the pumpkin,” she said.
Like King, Dussel agreed that the perfect pumpkin is a preference.
“Some people like no stems. Some people like scars. Some people like shapes,” she said. “I’m not sure why they don’t want stems. It’s just a preference. I prefer a stem.”
Tips for carving a pumpkin
Once you’ve chosen your pumpkins, Good Housekeeping has 11 tips from carving experts to turn them into Halloween lanterns:
- Carve your lid from the bottom first, not the top, because it helps prevent the sides from falling off later.
- But if you chose to carve your cap at the top, do it at an angle. A lid with a straight cut up and down will fall into the pumpkin.
Dussel said it “doesn’t really matter” whether a person carves a cap from the bottom or from the top, because neither will prevent the decay process.
- Remove all pulp. Thin the inner wall of the face area to 1¼ inches.
- Sketch your design on paper first, unless you are using a kit. Tape it to the pumpkin. Use a fork or pencil to poke holes in the lines you want to carve.
- Hold the pumpkin face up in your lap. This makes it easier to create the design.
- Start with simple cuts. Get the big parts out of the way first, then come back for the details.
- Use scraps creatively (ie, take a piece of pumpkin peel and turn it into a tongue).
- Keep the pumpkin fresh by spreading petroleum jelly on the edges to seal in moisture. If it shrinks, soak face down in cold water for up to eight hours.
- Light it with candles or battery votives.
- Create a fireplace.
- Sprinkle cinnamon inside the lid. It will make the jack-o’-lantern smell like pumpkin pie when lit.
The publication also recommended using a boning knife for the lid, an ice cream scoop or claw for the pumpkin guts, and a serrated knife or X-acto knife for carving features.
Getting rid of the jack-o’-lights
After Halloween is over and the pumpkins are spoiled, most people toss the lanterns in the trash.
But you don’t have to.
For example, Dussel said deer, squirrels and other wildlife will happily eat them.
King also said you can take old pumpkins, seeds and all, and plant them in your backyard to grow your own pumpkins.
Contact Benjamin Duer at 330-580-8567 or [email protected]
Follow on Twitter @bduerREP
