Pumpkin Carving Question - Los Angeles,CA

Ebird,

I can't help you with the pumpkin question but I thought I would take the opportunity to explain why Mamapedia now forces all questions to have at least three words. Simply put, lots of users post vague questions. If you don't believe me search for "potty training". There are literally 1,197 questions on the site that simply have the words "potty training" in the question field. Some are about potty training books, others are about the age at which to start potty training, etc.

The problem with vague questions is they don't help other users find the content they are looking for or understand what is being asked without actually visiting the questions page. We were hoping forcing people to put at least three words in their question would actually make them think of posing their questions as a question. When we kicked the idea around we couldn't think of any meaningful two-word questions.

We're just trying to make the content easier to find. Perhaps there are better ways for us to do that but the three-word minimum was a start.

Hopefully that helps and I don't sound like I'm picking on you.

Happy Halloween!

D.

Cut pumpkins will decay and dry out really fast.
I've tried the soaking them in a bucket/bag of water plus a little bleach and it keeps them in great shape for more than a week.

Here are the various methods to try (bleach method worked best):

http://www.myscienceproject.org/pumpkin.html

Try to really scrape all the stuff out and wipe with a bleach cloth.

http://food-hacks.wonderhowto.com/how-to/prevent-carved-u...

If you live in a warm climate, mold is inevitable. We carved ours too soon and it got a little warm here in NY and the whole thing got moldy and caved in.

Best to wait until a few days before if you want it to be fresh for trick-or-treaters!

Pumpkins last the longest in the colder areas so most likely the heat will cause it to get moldy right away.

You could try the technique listed below using bleach or go and get a fake one at the craft store and cut that one, then you can use it every year. I have several fake ones that I bought at Michael's and we carved them ourselves, one was pre-cut and has a plug in light inside. You don't even have to cut it you can paint it or find some other creative way to decorate it.

First, be sure to scrape it out thoroughly. The pulp is the first to mold.
Then use the bleach solution below.
Or, do what we used to do. Put it in the fridge every night. :)

Coat the cut surfaces with Vaseline.

Here ours rot (too wet) rather than get mold. Mold I think you can spray them with a bleach solution, but make sure they don't get too wet. I pat the insides dry to stop them from rotting too. We leave ours outside out of the sun - gets cold enough here to keep them fresh until Halloween but we don't carve too far ahead.

Wish I could help. I live in AZ and we don't carve pumpkins at all. They get moldy an hour later. lol Just kidding but really, they just don't last here so it's hardly worth it other than carving and taking a pic and that's it. Good luck.

I've read that coating the cut edges with petroleum jelly helps keep them fresh but where you are, it just might be too warm. Ours usually stay fresh for a couple of days outside, but it's cold here.

i think to some degree it's the luck of the draw. if you pick your pumpkin off a vine and carve him within a day or so, he'll go a good week. i got mine from a fruit stand yesterday, so i don't know how long he's been at liberty. i won't carve him until thursday.

i'm betting you could rub a mild bleachwater solution over your next one to preserve it longer, but i've never tried that. mine have been all over the map- some lasted well over a week without curling up and developing flies, others have been like yours, nasty almost as soon as i finished.

your title is fine. it's the ones that say 'what should i do?' that are too vague.

ETA from B's interesting link, apparently the 'pumpkin fresh' did better than any of the other methods in keeping the experimental jackolantern looking good! i'll look for that when i'm out and about today. :)
khairete
S.

I have seen several sites that recommend soaking the pumpkin in something, I can't remember what it was. Probably vinegar or something. But it's supposed to make it last a month or so.

I read that it helps to put those silica gel packs that come inside shoes and tjings, inside the pumpkin. Haven't tried it yet though.

I've started buying those fake carving pumpkins. It just seems easier, and now we have a nice collection of display. On Halloween, I put lights in them to add to the decoration.

I stuck whole cloves in it, and kept a candle lit in it any time I was home to dry the inside out as much as possible. Mine lasted about two weeks doing it that way.

…potty training "question"…

(I don't have any solutions. Just a three word title for Doug… sorry… See, I think the question goes in the question field. Not the title field….)

We live in a warm climate as well and they do start growing moldy very quickly. I actually don't do it anymore because I was so frustrated by it.