Tips on How to Pick the Perfect Pumpkin for Carving
Tips on How to Pick the Perfect Pumpkin for Carving
Fall is in the air and it is almost time to hit the pumpkin patch. Picking the perfect pumpkin to bring home and carve can be hard but check out these tips our Fancy Hands Personal Assistants found for you!
The Tap It Method: The first thing you should do when you find a pumpkin you like is to tap it. When you tap the pumpkin you should hear a hollow sound.
Same color: Try and find one that is the same color all around. Discoloration can mean it is not great for carving.
Check for spots: Try to find a pumpkin that does not have any bruising, scratches, or dark spots.
Apply some pressure to it: Press your thumb into the bottom of the pumpkin slightly. If the pumpkin isn’t completely sturdy that will mean that it isn’t as fresh and can rot quickly.
Firm stem: You should aim to pick a pumpkin with a firm stem. Aim for ones that have a hard dark green or black stem (green is best). If the stem breaks when you try to pick it up you should put it down and find another pumpkin.
The perfect shape: You should choose a round or oval pumpkin with a flat bottom. These are easier to carve.
Don’t pick your pumpkin up from the stem: Once you have picked your pumpkin you should always carry it from the bottom and avoid carrying by the stem. If the stem breaks it will decay and rot faster.
Here are some quick tips on how to make your carved pumpkin last longer:
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Clean it before carving. Clean the surface and the interior with a spray bottle of bleach solution (one teaspoon of bleach per one quart of water). Make sure to let it dry before carving.
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Once carved give it a bleach bath. You should submerge your pumpkin in a bucket filled with water and around 2/3 cup of bleach for around 24 hours.
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Add some extra protection around the carved edges. You can add petroleum jelly, vegetable oil, or WD40 onto the carved edges to keep it from drying out. Please note if you do this method these items are flammable so you should opt for a flameless candle with this method.
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Hydrate it daily. Pumpkins tend to shrivel up when they run out of moisture so you should spray it a little each day with the bleach solution you made in the first step.
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Put it in your fridge overnight. If you live in a warmer climate you should put your pumpkin in a plastic bag and keep it in the refrigerator overnight to help avoid rot. You can also give it an ice bath overnight instead.
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Aim for flameless candles. The heat from a candle can actually start to cook the pumpkin so you should aim for flameless candles or even a glow stick.
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If the weather calls for weather that will be under 50 degrees you should bring it inside to avoid it freezing
We hope these tips help you have the best-carved pumpkin ever. From all of us here at Fancy Hands we wish you a Happy Fall!
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