Whether you head to the pumpkin patch or your local grocery store, there are few things you should look for when choosing your Halloween pumpkin. There are so many shapes and sizes to choose from, and now you can even find different colours. White-tinged ones have made an appearance in recent years and offer a spooky-looking alternative to orange.
Frank Ferragine's tips on selecting the perfect pumpkin:
- Look for one that's free of blemishes.
- Feel the pumpkin and make sure it's solid and doesn't have any soft spots
- Make sure it sits flat.
How to carve your pumpkin:
- Scoop out the seeds first with your hands or using a spoon. This step is great for the kids to help with.
- A thin, sharp knife with a serrated knife works best for carving. Adults should do this part, or at least supervise if the kids are old enough to carve their own.
- Cut the top at an angle so that it doesn't fall into the pumpkin.
- Jack o' lanterns are getting more detailed every year, and now there are even kits for carving special designs. You can also find designs online that simply need to be printed out. You then put the tracer paper over the pumpkin, poke holes along the outline, and carve along the dotted line you've made.
- Although you can light the inside with a tea light or candle, it's safer to buy a battery-operated light (these are now readily available).
- If you carve your pumpkin too early and it starts to shrivel, soak it in water and it will come back. Five days before Halloween is optimal, but the closer to Halloween, the better in terms of making sure it looks fresh.
Don't forget to save the seeds and bake them. They're a healthy snack for the kids -- which hopefully will help balance out all the chocolate in their loot bags! Toss the cleaned seeds with a bit of oil and some salt and bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until golden brown, stirring once midway through.