Can You Eat Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins
And shoppers start buying fresh decorative winter produce, such as pumpkins andturban squash, in the hot, sultry days of late summer. Fruit flies will also flock to carved pumpkins and speed up the rotting process. The first step in selecting the perfect gourd is to choose a carving pumpkin rather than a pie pumpkin. Carving pumpkins are larger with thinner skin and have less "guts" on the inside.
Don't just dive in there and start hacking away with a knife. Exposure to oxygen and loss of moisture into dry air also contribute to the breakdown. There are a few things you can do so your carved pumpkin stays reasonably firm and attractive for as long as possible.
This article was co-authored by Amy Guerrero and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Amy Guerrero is an Arts and Crafts Specialist and the Owner of Sunshine Craft Co., a crafting studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. Amy specializes in macrame, DIY crafting, and teaching fiber arts. She offers monthly in-person and online workshops along with having developed a range of DIY craft kits for at-home projects. Amy holds a BS in Industrial Design from Philadelphia University.
Start by washing the seeds thoroughly; then, grind them in a food processor until they are smooth. That’s right, early jack-o-lanterns were carved from root vegetables. Unbeknownst to the ancient Celts, their fall tradition of Samhain and of keeping evil spirits at bay would evolve throughout the centuries. Samhain morphed into Halloween, and the myth of Stingy Jack and the use of jack-o’-lanterns to scare off his evil spirit arose. But unlike the spooky-yet-cute jack-o’-lanterns we’re familiar with today, the earliest jack-o’-lanterns appeared quite macabre. With crudely-cut eyes and mouths, their faces seemed fully capable of truly frightening both the living and the dead.
Cutting at an angle prevents the lid from falling inside of your pumpkin. Cover your workspace in newspapers Krazy or a large garbage bag. Work on a clean, hard surface, such as a dining table or the kitchen floor. Put down a layer of newspapers or cut open a large garbage bag to unfold it into a large tarp to catch any spills or messes you make.