Along with the Halloween season come pumpkins. The bright orange gourds are used for carving Jack-o-lanterns, adding festive decor to the home and yard, and for roasting crunchy pumpkin seeds. This guide will show you how to choose a Halloween pumpkin to best suit your needs.
How to Choose the Right Size Pumpkin for a Jack-O'-Lantern
This Expert Village video will show you how to choose a pumpkin with the correct dimensions for your Jack-o-lantern. This can be important if you are planning to get creative with your designs, as more ornate images will have different size requirements than larger, simpler patterns. Watch to learn tips and tricks on finding the perfect pumpkin for your needs.
Introduction
Pumpkins are in their peak of the season during the month of October, which helps explain why they have become a traditional symbol of Halloween. Their sturdy composition and broad faces make them ideal for carving spooky faces and designs into, and they light up beautifully when a tea candle is placed inside them. Of course these nutrient-rich fruits are also excellent for cooking, and are used in savory delicacies such as pumpkin curry as well as sweet treats like pumpkin pie.
Step 2: Choose the Best Pumpkin
Here's how to pick the choicest ones:
- Go directly to a pumpkin patch to find the freshest options
- Look for brightly colored pumpkins
- Feel to make sure your pumpkin is firm
- Look for a smooth surface, free of nicks and dents
- Make sure it can sit upright without rolling
- Knock on the pumpkin and listen for a hollow sound http://www.delish.com/recipes/pumpkin-cooking-guide
Step 1: Plan Ahead
If you are purchasing a pumpkin to carve into a Jack-o-lantern, have your design ideas planned out before you head to the store or the pumpkin patch. It will help to draw out some rough sketches of the patterns you will be carving, so that you can get a feel for the size and shape requirements of your future gourds.
If you don't have time to brainstorm before heading out to buy, at least have an idea of how many pumpkins you will need. Do a quick scan of the house for likely sites for your soon-to-be Jack-o-lanterns, and come up with a total number that you will want for your decorating needs. http://www.ehow.com/how_4502665_choose-perfect-pumpkin-halloween.html
Step 3: Take Care of Your Pumpkin
Once you have brought your pumpkin home, take care of it so that it lasts as long as possible. Here's how:
- Do not pick it up by the stem
- Avoid placing it directly in sunlight
- Keep as cool as possible
- Move indoors if freezing temperatures exist
- Wrap a moist towel around the pumpkin http://gardening.about.com/od/vegetables/a/Pumpkins.htm
