Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Gearing up for goblins
Tis the season to gear up for goblins or gourds or pumpkins and such! One of my favorite things as a kid was pumpkin carving time. As the youngest one with the smallest hands, it was my job to pull the guts out of the pumpkins while my brother and sister wielded the knives. Luckily mom was nearby to make sure they used the knives on the pumpkins and not each other. Now no one would even think of letting their kids use those knives!
Pumpkin PICKING for carving is an art itself! For the best results using stencils, you want the smoothest pumpkins. Choose a nice even color and the stem should be at least long enough to use as a handle for the lid. If you happen to break off the stem, don’t worry, just cut out the bottom instead. You’ll also want a flat bottomed pumpkin.
This is a video I did in 2010 for a tv show called “Game On”. I’ll apologize for the quality of the video… we’ve come a long way…
The bumpy pumpkins (as opposed to a country bumpkin), like I talked about yesterday, mixed with gourds look great piled up for a display…
…or use the oddities to advantage with paint. Acrylics work best. Thoughtco.com for how-to and ideas. (I try not to link you to sites with a ton of pop-ups and ads, but some sneak in!) People’s creativity astounds me!! I’d love to see YOURS! Share on GardenBite facebook page.
Some people carve just the top layer but I like to cut through and light ‘em up!
No more candles either, now it’s LED lights (our local fire chiefs are pleased with that innovation) and some of them flicker like flames. You could also use a glow stick. If you don’t want to buy a carving kit, there are plenty of free stencils on the internet.