How long will a pumpkin last

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 4:47 am

Dear all

How far in advance of Halloween can I buy my pumpkin? If I bought it today would it still be in good shape for next tuesday (I won't be carving i until the weeknd).

cheers

tomanderson · Post by **tomanderson** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:23 am

Yes, buy the pumpkin you like. I've had pumpkins that lasted a month or more! Once I bought a hundred-pound pumpkin and I kept it around for a long time. And there it sat. This thing was huge. I couldn't bear to just carve it, although it would have made some heck of a jack-o-lantern. But no, Halloween came and I felt like keeping it around because it was the biggest pumpkin I had ever personally seen. I believe it cost me $90. This was around 1991. Eventually it was cut open but that was quite some time later, near the end of November I think.

Anyway, the short version is, sure, your pumpkin will be fine. Buy it and carve it when you like. AFTER you carve it is when it will start to deteriorate quickly, grow mold, etc. Generally, your pumpkin may last a day and a half or so after carving, after that mold will visibly develop and your wonderful jack-o-lantern will, unfortunately, start to fall apart. But in many ways, that is the wonderful thing about jack-o-lanterns--you must enjoy them once you make them for they are truly temporary sculptures.

If you have squirrels in your area and your pumpkin is outside, they will come and start chewing on it. I read somewhere that cayenne pepper dusted on the pumpkin will discourage the little tree rats.

Boo · Post by **Boo** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:25 am

Excellent, thank you

I read somewhere that carved pumpkins can be sprayed with something that makes them last longer......?

tomanderson · Post by **tomanderson** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 7:38 am

Haven't read about that personally, but that would be neat, to be able to preserve a carved pumpkin for a while.

The translucent orange flesh on the inside of a pumpkin does glow in a very interesting way when you've got a lit candle inside there...I mean, I know safety nuts will tell you to use an electric pumpkin light or whatever, but seriously, a real candle (never burn one unattended!) is the way to go. The natural flickering, wavering light looks really neat inside a pumpkin.

It occurs to me that I mentioned in an interview how much I enjoy Halloween, so here's a little link to it here. Take everything I'm saying with a grain of salt, of course. I think I used some bad language once or twice, also:

http://www.cinefear.com/rodd.html

EvilMel · Post by **EvilMel** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:29 am

An unblemished pumpkin with the stem intact, in a cool environment, can last a year or more.

I've kept a sugar pumpkin on my desk for nearly a year.

So I'd say you have no problem keeping it for a while! hah hah.

LawP · Post by **LawP** » Mon Oct 23, 2006 10:57 am

Rub some petroleum jelly on the carved edges and also the inside of the JOL to make it last longer. I won't carve my pumpkins until Sunday or Monday before Halloween. Happy carving!

alexmiller · Post by **alexmiller** » Tue Oct 24, 2006 7:44 am

those crazy tree rat squirrels have already destroyed 2 of my pumkins

Friday13 · Post by **Friday13** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:31 am

hey,

what's up?

I am bored right now. I hope that you all have a great Halloween. I am going to have so much fun

Friday13 · Post by **Friday13** » Fri Oct 27, 2006 9:38 am

hello i am bored