What Did The Jack O Lantern Say To The Pumpkin
For fancier designs and easy pumpkin carving, you may want to invest in a few safer and more exact implements, such as tiny saws and an awl . Scoop the seeds and pulp out of the pumpkin with a spoon. Start by pulling out as much of the pulp and seeds as you can by hand and put them in a large bowl. Then, scrape the inside walls of the pumpkin with any large stiff spoon, ice cream scoop, or scraper from a carving kit. Keep scooping out the pulp until the pumpkin is about 1–2 inches (2.5–5.1 cm) thick.
Don't just dive in there and start hacking away with a knife. Exposure to oxygen and loss of moisture into dry air also contribute to the breakdown. There are a few things you can do so your carved pumpkin stays reasonably firm and attractive for as long as possible.
This article was co-authored by Amy Guerrero and by wikiHow staff writer, Hunter Rising. Amy Guerrero is an Arts and Crafts Specialist and the Owner of Sunshine Craft Co., a crafting studio based in Phoenix, Arizona. Amy specializes in macrame, DIY crafting, and teaching fiber arts. She offers monthly in-person and online workshops along with having developed a range of DIY craft kits for at-home projects. Amy holds a BS in Industrial Design from Philadelphia University.
Start by washing the seeds thoroughly; then, grind them in a food processor until they are smooth. That’s right, early jack-o-lanterns were carved from root vegetables. Unbeknownst to the ancient Celts, their fall tradition of Samhain and of keeping evil spirits at bay would evolve throughout the centuries. Samhain morphed into Halloween, and the myth of Stingy Jack and the use of jack-o’-lanterns to scare off his evil spirit arose. But unlike the spooky-yet-cute jack-o’-lanterns we’re familiar with today, the earliest jack-o’-lanterns appeared quite macabre. With crudely-cut eyes and mouths, their faces seemed fully capable of truly frightening both the living and the dead.
Like the ghouls and ghosts who spook us every Halloween, jack-o’-lanterns—so tempting to tiny predators and susceptible to mold and rot—are not really meant for this earthly plane. If you get the big pieces of pumpkin out of the way first, you can go back and clean up the edges of your design later. If you want to avoid the mess and decorate a pumpkin without carving it, then you could try painting it instead. A small paring knife or a craft knife may make it easier to work on Krazy small, intricate details.