Fall brings with it so many fun traditions, drinking apple cider, making ginger breads but most importantly, visiting the pumpkin patch! You need to pick out a just right pumpkin to be carved or decorated for Halloween night. But before you go, there are some recommendations you need to concider.
1. Know the difference between “Pie Pumpkins” and “Carving Pumpkins”: What’s the difference? Carving pumpkins are typically thinner and easier to saw into. They also have less guts on the inside, which are also grainier and stringier, making them easier to clean. Pie pumpkins, meant for baking, are usually smaller and more rounded.
2. Watch the Shape: Round or oval pumpkins carve easier, give you more canvas to work with and have more yummy seeds for roasting. A misshapen pumpkin will not have a full cavity for seeds.
3. Stick to Orange: Pumpkins come in lots of different colors and shades, but traditional pumpkins should be orange all over.Look for a pumpkin that has a deep orange color
4. Pick it up and tap it: It should feel sturdy. When you tap it, you should hear a hollow sound
5. Avoid the Mush: The pumpkin should be firm all over. While it may look perfect from the outside, soft spots can indicate decaying on the inside. That discovery could be disastrous come carving time.
6. Brown Spots: Don't pick a pumpkin with any brown spots, suggests the Pawlowskis. Even spots as small as a pencil eraser mean bugs have been chewing on the pumpkin and may have burrowed into it. Bug infestation can quickly diminish a pumpkin's shelf life.
7.Leave as much of the stem on as possible: You can cut the vine on both sides of the stem and then later cut the stem carefully at home. This will help it keep longer. Obviously, this only applies if you're actually harvesting pumpkins.
8. Avoid Frost: Bring pumpkins indoors if frost is predicted. Freezes damage pumpkins
9. Follow Your Heart: The perfect pumpkin is often the one you first saw, no matter its shape or size.
10.Stand it up: Stand your pumpkin up to make sure it sits up straight. Do you want to carve a masterpiece only to have it weeble-wobbling around or sitting crooked?
