25 Oct Preserve Your Pumpkin Carving: 6 Ways to Making it Last
It’s the Halloween season. Arguably it is the best holiday for child and adults to unleash their creative side. Creativity can be used in planning for your spooky or humorous costume, decorating ideas to that add a haunted effect for your home, or displaying an eye-catching jack o’ lantern for neighbors and trick-or-treaters (our favorite).
The number one headache we always have after carving a pumpkin is not so much the cleanup (okay, maybe) but “how do we make this thing last?” You put so much time and effort into bringing that oversized vegetable to life, how can you help preserve it? The following are simple everyday solutions that can be found around your home that can slow down the sagging, wrinkling, and wilting process for your pumpkin, and in addition prevent mold and fungus buildup:
How to Preserve your Pumpkin Carving
- Vaseline.Petroleum jelly works its magic with a simple application inside of your pumpkin. Just apply a generous scoop of Vaseline to the inside of your pumpkin to keep it firm for weeks, and make sure all of the cut areas are completely covered.
- Lemon Juice.Mix together equal parts of lemon juice and water and spray away on both the inside and outside of your pumpkin. This mixture helps preserve your pumpkin and hardens the outside for increased protection against the elements.
- Vegetable Oil.This also acts as a preservative, and can prevent decay and shriveling. Pumpkins tend to shrivel because of too much oxygen, and vegetable oil acts as a protecting agent.
- Plastic.If you want to keep your pumpkin looking shiny and new on Halloween, you can still carve it and place it outside, only wrap it up tight in clear plastic. This will help keep the pumpkin crisp and fresh, and will also prevent any mold buildup as you countdown to the big night.
- Refrigeration.A simple way to protect your artwork is simply to spray the entire pumpkin with water and leave it in the refrigerator overnight. You can do this with the smaller pumpkins so they’re not trying to battle out the cold temperature each night.
- Freezer. Put the pumpkin in the freezer for half a day and you’ll extend it’s outdoor life considerably. Freezing and chilling the pumpkin prevents decomposition, and you can do this as much as needed when you want to ensure it makes it to Halloween and beyond.
