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Halloween is one time you want a great looking pumpkin to carve. The problem can be that carved pumpkins can rot quickly or that your design doesn't quite come out right. Carving a great Jack O' Lantern takes some work.
The first thing you need is the right pumpkin. You want one that is unbruised, firm, with a thick stem, no damage to it anywhere. A damaged pumpkin can rot very quickly. Check under the pumpkin, not just the top and the sides to be sure you have a good one. Discoloration and/or soft spots are bad signs. It shouldn't slosh when you pick it up either, another sign of rotting.
You'll probably do best shopping at least a week in advance. A good pumpkin, uncut, can last months (trust me on this one, my husband didn't cut one of ours last year and it stayed on our front porch through spring before finally rotting). Once you start seeing pumpkins in stores, it's safe to start thinking about your Halloween pumpkin purchases.
Next you need the right tools. A kitchen knife works, but a pumpkin carving kit generally works even better. Depending on how you plan to carve your pumpkin, you'll want scrapers, drills, saws or other such tools.
When you carve your pumpkin, the first thing you need to do is cut it open. Starting in a circle around the stem, cut an opening wide enough for you to comfortably scoop the insides of the pumpkin out. You want to cut at an angle, so that if you put the lid back on it will not fall in. It doesn't take a very sharp angle, but you do need a bit of one.
Scoop out all of the insides. If you like making roasted pumpkin seeds, don't forget to save them. You can use a scraper to smooth the insides; this will make the light from the candle inside reflect better.
Mark out your pattern before you begin cutting it. You can use a marker if creating your own design or search online for ones you can print. If using one on paper, take one of the drills in your kit and poke holes along the pattern so that you know where to cut out after you remove the paper. A thumb tack can also do this job. If you use a marker, you will want to be sure as you cut that you remove all signs of the marker.
Use your pumpkin saw as a saw, not a knife. It needs that sawing motion to do a good job. Be gentle; you don't want to damage the pumpkin excessively. Use your fingers to remove parts rather than the saw. Don't feel obligated to cut all of a large piece out in one shot. It may be easier for you to work with smaller pieces.
One nice trick is to soak your pumpkin in cold water after cutting. This will help to keep it firm. After, cover the cut surfaces with petroleum jelly to keep the moisture in. Dry it off first so that mold has less of a chance to grow.
If you love the smell of pumpkin pie, sprinkle some pumpkin pie spices on the lid and inside. The candle will heat the spices and release the scent.
Consider whether you want to use candles or electric lights inside your pumpkin. Lights have a lot of safety advantages over candles. However, in either case be sure you remove them once trick or treating time is done. Candles should never be left burning in any case, and in many areas there are kids who look for pumpkins to smash after everyone has gone to bed.
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