Good evening MHH friends...My gals are wanting to carve pumpkins soon...How long would my pumpkins last before they rot as i don't want to carve them now and they will have to be thrown away before Halloween...Thank you in advance peeps.
Carving Pumpkins
- Thread starter frostythesnowman
- Start date
I think it is less than a week. Maybe a bit longer if it’s cold out.
It definitely depends on the weather. Here in the hot South, they last a week at best. At worst, about 4-5 days.
Maybe they could paint an design on them now and then turn it around when ready to carve. It would be 2 sided unless they paint what they want and carve it closer to Halloween. I think they have the same Halloween bug you have
From experience, it also depends on what kind of critters you have in your area. When we lived in the City of Chicago, we'd typically carve ours the weekend before Halloween. Our issue was that the squirrels and oppossom's (and an occasional raccoon) absolutely loved them. They'd chew the skin away from any cut openings and then work until they had a large enough spot to get inside to any remaining flesh and seeds.
Yep, my advice is same as @missjane ... we don't get much time with ours in hot humid 'ole Florida.
That's so odd (and interesting). We live in the country. No critters have ever made a meal from ours. I think the farthest we've done them and the "survived" was about 10 days. They were beginning to wilt around the cut areas by then.
Remember to cut an opening to get seeds out on the bottom of the pumpkin. It keeps from having to deal with the "lid from falling in as it decomposes. Also makes it easier to light the candle and place the pumpkin over it.
Thanks everyone for your replys...I think next weekend we are going to carve pumpkins.
My local supermarket had pumpkins for $3.99 each. I was so tempted to buy one. I have never carved a pumpkin before.
You should definitely get one and give it a try! Nothing in the world like it. It somehow just puts a smile on your face to see that little illuminated face at night!
I think I will. I might grab one tomorrow if they are still available.
Heads up on the experience - it is a messy process. We usually carve it on the floor with newspapers underneath the pumpkin for quick clean up. When we pull out the pumpkin guts (pulp and seeds), we let it soak in water. It is easier to pull the seeds from the pulp. This site has directions for roasting the pumpkin seeds.
I have some animal eating the pumpkins growing in the garden. We have deer, coyote, rabbits, ground hogs, foxes, raccoons and squirrels around daily. There are big gouge marks on two pumpkins and one gets knocked down often. My dad shellacs the uncarved pumpkins so the animals don't eat them.
We have our pumpkins all carved and outside ready for Halloween.
Our friend gave DS a big pumpkin and he wants to carve it tonight after he gets home from work.
I did not end up getting a pumpkin. They were all gone when I got to the shops and when I read the sign again I noticed that they were $3.99 a kilo. Each one would have been quite expensive. I will think on it again next year.