With the first annual Push to Walk- and Suburban Trends-sponsored Jack O’ Lantern Jamboree just two weeks away, it’s about time to start crafting your own creation to bring to the pumpkin extravaganza at Kinnelon High School on Sunday, Oct. 28.
Among the other fun and festivities planned for the day, guests are invited to bring along their already carved pumpkins. Pre-carved pumpkins will be checked in and placed along the track (or indoors, in the event of rain). At approximately 6 p.m., the jack o’ lanterns will be lit and attendees will be invited to walk along the track and view the numerous glowing creations. Simultaneously, judges will cull their favorites for consideration for various prizes.
Suburban Trends spoke with local pumpkin carving ace Pam Maggio, Kinnelon resident and buyer for Glenwild Garden Center in Bloomingdale, for tips to get both experienced and amateur carvers geared up with Halloween right around the corner. Maggio offered a range of advice, from what household tools you can use to cut and carve your pumpkin to how to best preserve your creation.
Cutting and carving
Maggio recommends always bringing your pumpkins inside the house about 24 hours before you scoop and carve.
“Putting your hand in an ice cold pumpkin is no fun,” she said.
Also be aware that pumpkins left outside on the porch can freeze if temperatures dip below 32 degrees Fahrenheit, and from there they will rapidly decompose. So, bring in your pre-carved and post-carved pumpkins on cold nights.
To scoop out the pumpkin’s insides, you can use a scooper specially made for pumpkins or a metal soil scoop with ridges, which will help remove the seeds and make the inside of your pumpkin cleaner. Glenwild Garden has higher-end metal soil scoops available, as well as plastic scoopers that also do the job and sell for just $2.49.
Just “don’t use mom’s best spoon!” said Maggio.
You can draw on your jack o’ lantern with a grease pencil or crayon, said Maggio, as they are both easy to erase.
Carving kits can be used for cutting and carving, but so can a good straight-edged knife, she advised, adding that household utensils or tools can also make great designs on a pumpkin.
One of the household tools that will come in most handy when pumpkin carving is an awl, a screwdriver-sized pointed tool for marking surfaces or piercing small holes. It is the perfect tool for punching holes around the design you have drawn on the pumpkin.
“Use the awl before you attack it with a knife,” said Maggio. “Your knife or cutting tool will go in easier and you’ll stay on design better.”
Further, the awl is useful if you are cutting out a big section. Use the awl to cut smaller pieces across the bigger section so you don’t break the design.
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