Carving pumpkins is such an old Halloween tradition that many of us have forgotten what it was like back in the old days. I can remember as a kid being scared of these monsters that would come out at Halloween and eat our small apples or turn us into vegetables. So if you have a big family and don’t have anyone with a carver in your household, this is a fun and easy way to create some inexpensive and fun Halloween treats for your entire family. It’s even easier if you have a carving pumpkin. A carving pumpkin allows you to carve pumpkins (and other fruit) into any shape that you desire. They are also easier to decorate and add little touches to make them look just right for Halloween.
When you’re first starting out with carving pumpkins you want to be sure that you have all of the proper supplies. For starters, you will need a large container to hold all of the pumpkins meat and other pieces of stringy fiber. Then, you will also need a number of long pieces of stringy fiber to drape over the entire container and hold in place the meat and other ghoulish things that you are going to carve.
You may choose to use a variety of different shapes. There are some very cute and funny looking carving pumpkins that would be great for children’s Halloween parties. Most families love having the same tradition going over again, but the trick is coming up with original designs for each year that your family carries out the carving pumpkin ritual. This year, why not go with the Sugar Pumpkins?
To start out with your successful Halloween carving pumpkins creation you will need two utensils; a serrated knife and a long kitchen knife with a saw blade attachment. Next, you will want to gather some of your stringy fiber to be spread throughout the pumpkin’s surface. This includes any crevices that may exist around the outside of the pumpkin. A wire cutter should be used to cut these types of fibers down to size so they can be stuck to the knife blade.
Now it is time to remove the skin from the inside of the gourd. If you have not already done this, it is better to do so now. After you have removed the skin, the next step is to cut strips of the gourd that correspond with the pattern on the outside of the pumpkin. Then, the strips of skin and gourd should be placed along the base and sides of the pumpkin in the form of a grid pattern, then cut the squares out into four equal panels.
The final step is to assemble the pieces back together like you did when you were making the pumpkin pie. The strips of gourd and vegetable should be secured into place using masking tape. This should be done before you begin to cook the pumpkin pies or casseroles so the pieces will be even and level as you carve them. You can put the strips and vegetable back in the pumpkin after baking the pumpkin pie to save time in the cooking process.
