Teach me how to carve a pumpkin

[Shel_B]

Our neighbor brought over a medium-sized pumpkin for us to carve into a Jack O'lantern, and now Toots wants me to carve, carve, carve. I've never done that before. Any suggestions?

[dcarch]

Amazon.com has many. " Pumpkin carving tools"

Otherwise use an Exacto blade. A Dremel (rotary tool) with a side cutting router bit works very well, but messy.

dcarch

[OliverB]

the sets they sell at supermarkets and target etc work well enough for one. Scoop spoon, little saw, some extras. Cheap.

[Shelby]

Instead of cutting around the stem to make the opening, I like to cut a hole in the bottom. That way it's easier to put your light source in. Also, I think it makes getting all the seeds out a bit easier. Then you can season the seeds and roast 'em. YUM!

[Paul Bacino]

There are non traditional ways to carve pumpkins..

See here: http://www.villafanestudios.com/

[Special K]

We turn the pumpkin on its side so that the stem becomes its nose. Then we carve eyes and a mouth shallowly into the flesh and spray the cuts with Wilt Pruf. It lasts for a good long while outside. We set up one of those outdoor solar-powered lights to spotlight it. Spooooooky!

I got this idea from the book Play with Your Food, by Joost Elffers.

K

[heidih]

I get extra ones on sale or being given away at the pumpkin patches to make batched of roasted seeds. Check out the topic here http://forums.egullet.org/topic/54526-pumpkin-seeds-cleaning-roasting-uses/

[Norm Matthews]

I used to have a butter curler which is a rounded scraper tool that I used to scrape the inside of the pumpkin to make the wall thinner behind the part about to be carved. Having a thinner wall makes it easier to cut out the face or whatever design and when it is easier to carve, your design is also easier to make more complex.

[janeer]

It is hard to relate to never having carved a pumpkin! After cutting around the stem to make a lid, I scoop out the pulp and seeds with a large serving spoon, separate the seeds, dry them, and roast them with salt. I draw the face with a fine-point marker and carve with a small sharp paring knife. I like to have a big grin with teeth. Carve a small indentation inside and use a large candle

[dcarch]

Why only pumpkins?

There are other possibilities.

Speaking of wild rice, they make realistic looking maggots.

dcarch

[Shel_B]

Why only pumpkins?

There are other possibilities.

Speaking of wild rice, they make realistic looking maggots.

Because, as I said in my original post, a neighbor gave us a pumpkin, and that's what I have. I have no intention of making this into an adventure, or shopping for other things to carve. The only reason I'm doing this is to make the neighbor's two year old daughter happy. She actually gave us the pumpkin, she picked it out.

[Shel_B]

Thanks for all the suggestions.

[SylviaLovegren]

A friend uses her drill and basically makes connect-the-dot designs on her pumpkins. A bit messy but fast!

[Morkai]

We used a simple carving kit we got from Walgreens for $3.99. Seemed to do the trick. This is our first year really carving, and the first turned out well I think.

For all you Breaking Bad fans....

[huiray]

It is hard to relate to never having carved a pumpkin! After cutting around the stem to make a lid, I scoop out the pulp and seeds with a large serving spoon, separate the seeds, dry them, and roast them with salt. I draw the face with a fine-point marker and carve with a small sharp paring knife. I like to have a big grin with teeth. Carve a small indentation inside and use a large candle

I guess you have never NOT carved pumpkins nor had any friends or neighbors who did NOT carve pumpkins? Hmm. Well, I have never carved one myself either (and have no wish to start doing so) and have no interest in carving one.

However, a simple Google search for "how to carve a pumpkin" turns up lots of step-by-step instructions in clear language (and also videos of the whole process) with tips and comments, especially points for the beginner's attention...which I believe is along the lines of what the OP asked for. :-)

(Shel_B, note the first basic point all these tutorials mention - cut the top off at a 45 degree angle, not straight down. :-) )

Edited October 29, 2013 by huiray (log)

[rotuts]

Morkai

that's impressive. some sort of template to guide you?

I remember the day that the eyes were triangles as was the nose. the mouth was a plain smooth smile.

eventually one added a tooth or two to the mouth. that was it.

also a mess was made on the kitchen table, but saved by several layers of newspaper that then got bundled up

carefully. Times Change.

[janeer]

Why only pumpkins?

There are other possibilities.

Speaking of wild rice, they make realistic looking maggots.

dcarch

Love the cauliflower brain!

[Shelby]

We're going to need a picture of your creation, Shel_B!

[OliverB]

one thing I learned the first time I carved, cut the lid at an angle, or it will fall in....

We carved ours on Sunday, first spots of mold showing up already. I tried different things (bleach, fungus bathroom cleaner, etc to prevent this with no luck) to prevent this. That's why I now carve them close to Halloween, then they go out in the driveway to mold and liquify into a 'zombie' pumpkin over the next week or so, then I use a shovel to throw it into the bushes down the hill :-)

And yes, roast the seeds of course!

[Kerry Beal]

Here is a bit of pumpkin carving talent from a fellow on my greeneggers forum.

[FauxPas]

Kerry, that pumpkin is stunning.

Shel_B, what did you do with yours?

[huiray]

I wish the videographer had stopped moving around so much, though, and wish he had pulled back to show views of the whole thing. I found the video very frustrating in that regard and therefore unrewarding. IMO.

[FauxPas]

the original question here was for a fairly simple carving answer, I think. Here is one I did a few years back that was really easy though I did shop around for the bits and pieces and had a casket off to the side of the pumpkin, etc.

https://plus.google.com/photos/104071309318323637676/albums/5127728884596328705/5127729262553450818?banner=pwa&authkey=CNGP_a72yqivaA&pid=5127729262553450818&oid=104071309318323637676

[SylviaLovegren]

Here is a bit of pumpkin carving talent from a fellow on my greeneggers forum.

That is amazing. Did he exhibit that? Or just have it on the front porch for the trickertreaters to admire and the squirrels to gnaw?

[weinoo]

Our neighbor brought over a medium-sized pumpkin for us to carve into a Jack O'lantern, and now Toots wants me to carve, carve, carve. I've never done that before. Any suggestions?

Never done what? Use Google? Use a knife? Carve Toots?