Pumpkin Carving

Each year a tradition for many families during October is pumpkin carving!!  For me, it has been about 5 years since I have carved my last pumpkin so at first I was unsure of what to do!  Here are simple steps showing how to carve your very own pumpkin.

Step 1:  First thing first, you have to pick out the perfect pumpkin!  You can find one in your local pumpkin patch or supermarket.  Make sure you pick one that will work well with what you have planned.  Also be sure to look for a pumpkin with a nice stem.  The stem with help when taking the top off and on to light the candle.  We were unable to do that and had the task of lighting the candle from the outside.

Step 2:  Find a pattern or be ready to draw your own!  Here is a link including 3 patterns we found and even used one.  For our pattern we used Jack Skellington.

Step 3:  When your ready to carve your pumpkin make sure you have all tools needed to do so.  The best thing to do is to buy a cheap Pumpkin Carving Kit that includes all you will need.  Once you have all your tools use a knife to cut open the top of your pumpkin.  

Step 4:  Once you have cut open the top of your pumpkin empty it of the "guts."  This includes the stringy parts and seeds.  Be sure to save the seeds in a bowl for a special treat when you're done with your pumpkin. 

Step 5:  Once you have emptied out the "guts" and put them into a bowl you are ready to either tape or sketch your pattern to your pumpkin.  We found it hard to tape our pattern to our pumpkin but after a few tries we were able to get it on exactly where we wanted it.

Step 6:  Some of you may be able to skip step 6 depending on how you did your pattern.  If you drew it on you can skip to step 7.  For those of you who taped on your pattern begin poking holes in the outline of the pattern.  Make sure to get all of it before taking off the taped pattern.  This is probably the hardest step for me because it seems to take the longest.

 

Step 7:  Once all holes have been poked and the pattern has been removed or for those of you who skipped step 6 you are ready to carve!  Where you begin is up to you.  It is best to start from the middle and make your way to the outside so there is not so much pressure on the middle while carving.  I usually go from the top and work my way down.

Step 8:  When you are finished carving you can now put a candle inside your pumpkin, light your candle and put the top back on to it.  You may now place your pumpkin where you would like and enjoy!