To Carve a Pumpkin

This past weekend my whole family was in town for my grandfather's surprise 80th birthday (more on that in the next entry), and we were able to share a Halloween tradition: pumpkin carving!

I actually got the idea (and courage) the night before at a fun carving party held at my friend Kelly's house. My lovely partner-in-crime Dana helped me create the pumpkin below (left).

Although our pumpkin didn't win the contest, we still had a blast, and I found how easy and fun it is to carve these festive autumn vegetables. 

So, the next night while Alabama was taking on the Gamecocks upstairs, a handful of the kids (young and old) were meticulously carving up pumpkins downstairs in the basement.

First, pick a pattern for your pumpkin. If you google "Free Pumpkin Carving Patterns," you'll find a slew, but I like this particular site: http://www.pumpkinlady.com/pattern.htm

For under $3 you get a pdf pattern that you can print and reuse as many times as you like.

Next you'll need to pick out your pumpkin; we lucked up and found a nearby pumpkin patch at Asbury United Methodist Church. I've learned from experience that gourds, though aesthetically pleasing, often have a denser center and are thus more difficult to cut. We picked out a selection of orange pumpkins and a miniature white one.

Then comes the fun part: gutting the pumpkin! With a sharp knife, cut a jagged line around the crown of the pumpkin. This creates a nice, finished look. Below Jessica elegantly demonstrates how to pull off the crown once the cutting is complete.

Assorted pumpkin crowns.

Next step is removing all the innards from the pumpkin. Elizabeth and Emme illustrate that this task can be a full-body, two-person one. Trash the seeds or rinse them for toasting.

Next you'll need to "poke" your design on the face of the pumpkin to make cutting easier and your design more accurate. I used a nail to trace mine.

If you're not creating your design freehand, you can tape your printed patter onto the pumpkin face and poke along the lines; see Tara's example below.

After you poke the design out, cut along the dotted lines you've created with a sharp knife.

Insert tea lights into the bases, light and ENJOY!

Happy Halloween!