When do you carve your pumpkins?

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AuntJamelle

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Oct 22, 2007
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I've been seeing some carved pumpkins out on my way to work in the morning for about a week now.

Will they keep until Halloween?

What do you all usually do? Wait until closer?

Any traditions that go along with the carving ceremony??? :)
 

MrsSoup

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Oct 13, 2007
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We usually carve one for each member in our family or decorate one for each of us depending on how tired we get of carving pumpkins. I have a small witch hat and cape that I usually put on one and i've also done a pirate before as well without carving. We usually don't start carving until really close to Halloween. However, most pumpkins will keep until Halloween if carved now IF you put vaseline around the edges of the cuts.
 

mommytotwo

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Oct 12, 2007
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I like to get a head start on holiday activities, so the last time my husband, and the kids had carved our pumpkin, it was days before Halloween. Unfortunatly, it had gotten moldy, and did not make it till Halloween. We might try it again this year, but carve it the day before Halloween.
 

Grammyk

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We always buy our pumpkins early in Oct, so we have good selection. One year, we could only find 3 and needed 8. (got my degree from HKU) Now we paint one side the 2nd weekend of Oct. and carve the last sat of Oct. Since Halloween lands on Sat this year, we will carve the week-end before. Also, I learned the hard way (again) to clean the seeds out before the DGKs get here. Makes for a less stressful time with Mom and Dad. Have fun all!!
 

Winged One

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We normally do it very close to halloween itself, but I harvested ours at the weekend (first time successfully growing them!!), and while 1 is an ok size, it is the one that is in best condition for storing (so it's in the shed now). The other 2 are quite small, but already showing signs of decay. So we're going to carve one tonight and the other later this week and try Mrs Soup's trick of vaseline. And probably have something like pumpkin soup or P curry later this week with the spare flesh.
 

grandma bucket

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Oct 5, 2009
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We always carved ours the day before. My DD's son is 2 this year and she couldn't wait to carve and did hers this weekend. For two days now he keeps looking at my uncared pumpkin saying "Yucky pumpkin Yucky!".
 

cipalla

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Oct 22, 2007
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Anytime the week of Halloween so they don't mold. It can be too warm here sometimes, althought not this year!
 

alisonmcg

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Usually the day before Halloween. I put it out by the front door that day but I don't light the candle inside it until Halloween night. I also plan to buy my pumpkin next Monday.
 

cindyloowho

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Oct 18, 2009
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We had a Halloween end of the season campout with the RV club so we carved pumpkins 2 weeks ago. It still looks ok, the more wrinkled the better sometimes. I carved an icky face in mine and had him puking the seeds out of his mouth. LOL It turned out kinda creepy. Perfect for the season.:p
 

housewife2

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i buy pumpkins when they get in the store. i usually have afew in my garden. i dont carve till the night before halloween
 

missjane

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DGSs and I picked a pumpkin today from volunteer vines that came up from our pumpkins we threw out! First one ever.
 
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sweetpumkinpye

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Over the past few years the beautiful orange pumpkins are showing up in our shops here. (our pumpkins are a blue/grey colour).
I would love to get on this year and just play around with it so I would be interested to see how early you can cut one, it will still be coolish here in October.
 

AuntJamelle

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Katrina - Isn't it funny how whatever isn't common just has that special appeal? Around here, ALL we have are orange pumpkins. Blue/grey ones are very rare to see and super expensive to buy. I've thought of trying to grow some - or white pumpkins for that matter.

Even after all these years of these boards with members from down under I still have to stop and wrap my head around the idea that it is getting hotter the closer you get to Christmas! lol
 

housewife2

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ive never seen blue /gray pumpkins i bet they are pretty. i planted some white pumpkin seeds so we will see what i get
 

HouseElf

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My 'pumpkin face' is pretty traditional - I am not a good carver!
A couple triangle eyes, a large smile and a carrot nose!

We will carve ours the night before.

Edit to add:
My fav thing to do is after Halloween, I place my pumpkin on the rock in the perennial bed - fill it with a corn and peanut mix. It's very amusing to watch Blue Jays and the squirrels/chipmunks enjoy the feast.
 
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AuntJamelle

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That's a great idea, Tam!

I almost bought a pumpkin the other night but they looked kind of sad already and I didn't think they would make it to Halloween!
 

MrsSoup

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Here in Hawaii, we can't carve ours until the night before (we don't put it outside until the day of) and then have to immediately throw it out the day after Halloween, otherwise it would attract a million bugs.