How to Carve the Perfect Pumpkin
Halloween time means pumpkin carving time. For many households, pumpkin carving time is the main event in October, for all ages. Some want to place their creations on the front porch steps, others have carving parties or contests. One needs to learn how to carve the perfect pumpkin. So, whatever your household does, carving a pumpkin is the Halloween tradition. Last year we went to my cousins house where he had a pumpkin carving party in his pole barn. His kids, along with kiddo, schoolmates and parents all got to pick a pumpkin out of my cousins patch. It was a lot of fun and I was able to score buckets upon buckets of seeds since he left them all over for folks to toss their insides into. I used those seeds to make homemade seeds for canning which I used for Christmas gifts and I also canned my own pumpkin. I’m very sad that the storms over the summer and the cooler weather we had towards the end of summer (along with more rain) cause a lot of damage to his pumpkin patch. Not only does he do the carving party for his girls classmates, he also donates a lot to a local school and charity. It’s pretty sad news. So, I’ll be hitting up the farmers market to pick out a few pumpkins this year. My father-in-law counts on his homemade seeds every year so we can’t disappoint!
For carving your perfect pumpkin:
You will need:
- Pumpkin
- 1 carving tool such as a knife with a serrated edge
- 1 scooping tool such as a spoon
- Newspaper
- Tape
- Stencil
- Candle
Selecting the Pumpkin
First you will want to decide what you plan to carve on your pumpkin. Once you decide, you can choose the size of your pumpkin based on the design. Tap the pumpkin. A hollow sound will be easier to scoop out. Look for bruises to discoloration to be sure there is no rotting. You want your pumpkin to be as smooth as possible for learning how to carve the perfect pumpkin. Pick a pumpkin that has a stem. A strong attached stem is a sign of a strong, healthy pumpkin. Plus, it adds character to your pumpkin after carving. Make sure the pumpkin has a flat bottom so it does not roll away after carving.
Cut Out the Top
Place the pumpkin on the newspaper. Using a long, thin blade knife or carving tool, begin cutting the top of the pumpkin around the stem. You want the hold to be large enough to allow your hand and scooping utensil in to scoop out the seeds and membrane. Save the top, this will be your lid.
Scooping Out the Insides
Using your special pumpkin scraper that may have come with a carving kit, or your household spoon, reach inside the pumpkin, and scoop out all of the seeds and membrane strings. Leave the pumpkin wall about an inch thick. Make sure the bottom has been scraped flat for the candle to sit and not tip. Once you are done, wash and dry the pumpkin to help preserve the pumpkin and remove any mold.
Tip: Save the seeds! Those are excellent for roasting!
Using Stencils or Hand Drawing
If you are going to hand draw, draw your design on a piece of paper first. Use this as your stencil by taping it to the flat side of the pumpkin. If you are using a stencil, tape it on, picking the flattest side.
Carving the Pumpkin
To carve the perfect pumpkin, begin by using a sawing motion, and carve the smallest pieces first. Go slow and be gentle. Once the small pieces are out of the way, start from the center and work out. This helps with support on the edges when working with more intricate designs. Push the cut-outs with your fingers, not the saw.
Lighting the Pumpkin
Light your candle and place it on the bottom of your pumpkin. Replace the lid.
I am so bad at carving pumpkins. No matter how hard I tried they always come out lousy. My sister in law has a huge pumpkin carving party every year, so you think I would be good but I’m not.
My cousin does the party and I just let hubs handle it. It seems like I am always breaking the carving knife. So, I just collect the seeds and do my own thing.
We just started using stencils on our pumpkins last year. Our pumpkins look so much better now that we aren’t trying to just carve them up free-handed!
Mine look pretty rough. I am getting better though.
Pumpkin carving can be so much fun! These are great tips to make it a great experience for kids and parents!
I really needed this article. I’m terrible at pumpkin carving. Every years it’s the same old boring triangle eyes and craggy mouth.
I prefer to paint on them for that exact reason. I have printed out templates and those never look well when I do them!
I always save the seeds from our carving pumpkins. Home made roasted pumpkin seeds are great.
Thanks for the tips! I’ve never been good at carving pumpkins.
Such great tips. i love carving pumpkins.
We always enjoy carving pumpkins every year. I will try some of your tips this year.
I’m the worst at carving pumpkins, but it’s a tradition my husband loves to do with the kids. I’ll have to try some of these tips this year! 🙂
I am so horrible at carving a pumpkin. We get those intricate kits every year and I always wonder why!
I tried to do this once and it didn’t quite work out. I never tried again. Lol. I just might with these tips.
My pumpkins always look terrible, but I have never used a stencil. This year I think I am going to make a perfect pumpkin!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing! My pumpkins never look right!
I definitely had problems in the past carving pumpkins! Having good tools helps!
Great tips! I always make a mess of carving our pumpkin, usually breaking the knife lol.
I haven’t carved a pumpkin with my kids. I think they would definitely enjoy it. Hopefully one year I can carve a pumpkin with them.
I love pumpkin carving season so much! We are going to pick pumpkins in a few days. Thanks for the tips.
Pumpkin carving always frustrates me, so I make hubby do it with the girls lol. I stick with painting them.
These are good tips. I can’t wait until we’re roasting seeds,I wait all year for it. 🙂
I am the pumpkin carver in our family. My husband claims that he has no artistic ability. I cannot wait to hit up the pumpkin patch this weekend.
It has been years since we carved a pumpkin with Jake being older. I might have to do it myself this year!
We love carving pumpkins here! These are some great tips to keep in mind while pumpkin carving!
Thanks for the tips. We are hoping to get our pumpkin this week.
I will be using your tips for carving our pumpkins this year. We always have fun and toast the seeds.
I’m horrible at carving pumpkins, they never turn out very good. But it is fun trying 🙂
If my husband didn’t like pumpkin seeds, we so wouldn’t carve! I love to paint!
I do fine at the basic carvings, but I am always amazed by people who make it a real art. The ones that get crazy intricate designs to turn out so beautifully!
I used to love pumpkin carving as a kid, but now days I leave it to hubby. However, I do reserve and roast the pumpkin seeds!
Carving pumpkins is so much fun. Thanks for these tips on carving the perfect pumpkin!
We bought a carving kit. Here’s hoping we can work it out. 🙂
One of my favorites parts of Halloween is carving the pumpkin. It’s gonna be a little more challenging doing it this year with 6 kids. 🙂
I absolutely LOVE pumpkin carving! In fact, I was just asked to Curate a board on Pumpkin Carving for Hometalk. It will be featured in their upcoming newsletter. If you cut the bottom out of your pumpkin instead of the top, you will eliminate the troubles of rolling away and not having a flat surface for your candle. I have loads of other tips too… like I said, it’s a passion. 🙂
Your cousins parties and pumpkin patch sound like so much fun. Thanks for sharing.
stopped by from the Home Matters Linky Party
~Lorelai
Life With Lorelai
I’ve been trying to start the carving right before Halloween the last couple of years. Before that, the pumpkins were rotting by the 31st!
We love carving pumpkins here! I am really bad at it but the kids don’t seem to mind ha!
My husband is good, but I am horrible at carving, so I tend to do non-carving pumpkin things. 🙂 We are going pumpkin picking this weekend, btw! Yay!
I really like carving pumpkins but by the time I am half way through i’m always like why did we do this every year. lol It is a lot of fun though and my daughter enjoys it. As a child we never carved pumpkins and even if I hate it I will do it for my daughter’s childhood experience.
This is a great tutorial! Thanks so much for linking up with us at the #homematters linky party! We hope to see you again this coming Wednesday!