Pumpkin carving!

[Jaymes]

It's just about that time of year again... Halloween! And with Halloween comes... pumpkin carving! :woohoo:

Here are some great tips for selecting a good pumpkin:

• Select an unbruised pumpkin about the size and shape of your design.
• Choose one that is smooth and evenly colored so your design transfers clearly.
• Make sure the pumpkin has a flat bottom so it sits upright.
• Watch out for pumpkin that have mold around the stem. This may indicate potential rot.
• Do not carry a pumpkin by its stem to prevent it from breaking.
• For children, try to select a lighter-colored, softer pumpkin. These don't last as long, but they are easier to carve.

And here 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. [Lightly misting the inside of a pumpkin with bleach mixed with water also helps prevent rot]
• Consider giving smaller children stickers, tempera paint, or markers to decorate their own pumpkins.

Anyone else getting excited about pumpkin carving? :jiggy:

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Mmmm... Pumpkin pie's one of my favorite things!

I don't dare let myself get excited about pumpkin carving, hehee! I'd be hauling 'em from the local grocery left and right if I did!

 

[Bastet]

Another tip: if you have sensitive skin, don't use your hands to scoop out the pumpkin seeds, or wear gloves when you do.

I carved a pumpkin once a couple years ago. It was fun at the time, but right now it's relegated to the part of my brain with the other memories I'd rather not remember.

 

[s2a]

Good tips!

[I just bought the Power Master® saw yesterday. I'm psyched to do at least 6-8 punkins this year, instead of our usual 3-4. Woo-hoo!

If I remember, I'll post a link to some pics of the best after Halloween. ;-)]

 

[Feathers in Hair]

Oh, dear, Bastet! Did you get a rash, or did they cut you?

s2a, I hope we get to see those pictures!

 

[Bastet]

Oh, dear, Bastet! Did you get a rash, or did they cut you?

I lost a layer of skin...dried out and peeled off.

 

[Jaymes]

Owww! That sounds really painful... can you still carve pumpkins if you wear gloves or something?

 

[michel]

I lost a layer of skin...dried out and peeled off.

Presumably this is an allergy - are you allergic to other things ? My poor mother used to come out in massive rashes whenever she touched a caterpillar. Made having fresh vegetables rather hazzardous!

I'm sorry to hear that Bastet, if it is an allergy, do you find it changes (Ie OK sometimes othertimes not ?) - I find that with allergies.

 

[robtex]

Once upon a time there was an evil man. (true story). He carved an evil evil pumpkin with a wicked grin and filled it with candy. He place the his evil creation on a wooden table with an orange tablecloth on it. He filled his evil creation with candy and a note written in red ink so as to look like blood wrote "help yourself to candy" He turned the porchlight on.

A small group of children approached and read the wicked sign. One of them lIfting his mask smiled and stuck his hand in the bowl to get his share of candy. His face turned pale and he shrieked scaring the other kids. Try as he might he couldn't get his hand out of the pumpkin!!!

He screamed and screamed and finally pulled his arm free. A man came out from under the table cloth and gave them all their candy. Turned out he had cut a whole in the table and in the pumpkin so he could grab the hand of children who reached into his bowl. true story though I dramatized the details.

 

[jonny]

Anyone else getting excited about pumpkin carving? :jiggy:

What do you mean getting excited? I already carved a pumpkin last week!

 

[michel]

Good tips!

[I just bought the Power Master® saw yesterday. I'm psyched to do at least 6-8 punkins this year, instead of our usual 3-4. Woo-hoo!

If I remember, I'll post a link to some pics of the best after Halloween. ;-)]

I have a horrible image of a newsflash on television" Man with Power saw goes wild in supermarket, attacking every pumpkin in sight......please do not approach; he is considered extremely dangerous"..............:biglaugh:

 

[Mike182]

It's just about that time of year again... Halloween! And with Halloween comes... pumpkin carving! :woohoo:

how right you are! i love halloween, its always fun at my house!


(pst, i know this is your thread, buts its about halloween, so, erm, can i put this here?)





All hallows eve



On this eve, but once a year

The streets fill with uncanny fear

A presence so unkindly felt

THE SIGHT OF CHILDREN AFTER TWELVE!




But on this night, walk with care

For eggs are lurking in the air

And dreaded be the masquerade

Jason, Freddy, and Casper are here




And cursed be those who defile

The calls of a parading child

So on these streets, but once a year

“Trick of treat”, if thou shalt dare




Now, one there is, for one their must

One whom children, cannot trust

“They shall receive no chocolate here,

Nor liquorice balls or sugar swirls”




But still he hears his doorbell ring

“Ding*ding*ding, is someone in?”

And at his door he did behold

Three smart vampires, glowing like Gold




Their innocence he saw with care


With plastic capes and strong black hair

“Chocolate, I have but non,

But follow yonder” and he was gone




Old man in gown, and slippers pink

Walking down all-hallows streets

He sets upon the local store

And like a wraith he takes it all





Now cautious, these young children were

For yester year deceived they were

Their treat from him, unkindly felt

Laxative was but all about




But this year, they feared him not

For from the shop, they got their lot

And joyously they did proclaim

“Not all is bad on hallows eve”

 

[Mike182]

did people not like my writting then?

 

[Bastet]

Owww! That sounds really painful... can you still carve pumpkins if you wear gloves or something?

Don't see why not. Haven't repeated the experience to try it out though. Halloween isn't "done" here.

 

[Bastet]

Presumably this is an allergy - are you allergic to other things ? My poor mother used to come out in massive rashes whenever she touched a caterpillar. Made having fresh vegetables rather hazzardous!

I'm sorry to hear that Bastet, if it is an allergy, do you find it changes (Ie OK sometimes othertimes not ?) - I find that with allergies.

I developed contact dermatitis at work from repeated contact with cleaning chemicals. Now just about anything can set it off.

 

[Feathers in Hair]

I enjoyed it, CP!

Even though the areas I've lived in for awhile have been either too risky or too rural to encourage trick-or-treaters, I still feel sympathy for you, Bastet. (You may not care either way, which is only natural. ) I love a lot of the aspects of Halloween, so I don't think I'd do very well if it wasn't "done", hehee.

 

[Valjean]

It's useful to make a ventilation hole in the top with an apple corer.

 

[jewscout]

Anyone else getting excited about pumpkin carving? :jiggy:

i love seeing pumpkin carvings! A friend of mine once did a Bubs carving (Bubs, from the Homestar Runner webpage!)

 

[Unedited]

i love seeing pumpkin carvings! A friend of mine once did a Bubs carving (Bubs, from the Homestar Runner webpage!)

I wish I could have seen it!

I want to do Cartman this year, but I can't work out how to do it so that people actually get what it is. For a moment I thought about adding in one of his 'catch phrases' to get the picture across, but then I realised that absolutely none of them are appropriate for children. Maybe I could try for a Bender pumpkin instead. Or maybe I should focus on something that the under five age group that always comes to our house would actually recognise.

Ooooh! Maybe I could do Inuyasha! (I'm very excited if you haven't noticed).

 

[Feathers in Hair]

An InuYasa pumpkin?!

Hide it from me! Otherwise, I'll keep trying to kiss it!