As soon as you bring your pumpkins home from the pumpkin patch or grocery store, wash them in anti-bacterial dish soap. This will remove all of the dirt, fertilizers, insecticides and microbial life that are already at work to consume your pumpkin!
This goes for your carving tools as well. Even if they look clean, it is a good idea to wash your carving tools before you use them on your pumpkins. Of course you will want to wash your tools after their use as well.
Step 2: Initial Storage
If at all possible, keep your pumpkins in the refrigerator. Don't forget the fact that you are working with a piece of fruit. It should be treated as such. If your pumpkin is too large, or you do not have room in your refrigerator, be sure to store your pumpkin in a cool place.
Step 3: Carving
Try to delay the actual carving process as long as possible. We know it is tempting to carve your masterpiece as soon as you bring your pumpkin home, but no matter what precautions you take, your carvings will never look as good as they do when they are fresh. Here at Jack-O-Lantern.com, we wait until Halloween morning to carve, or at the very earliest, the night before we need to display them.
Many years ago, we used and sold a product called Pumpkin Dunk'N. That product is no longer available, but we are pleased to offer a new product called Dr. Frybrain's Pumpkin Embalmer™. It comes in both a Soak and Spray. Depending on pumpkin size, variety, climate and conditions, using both products together can add up to 10-15 days to the life of your Jack-O-Lantern.
To use, simply dissolve a package of the ultra-concentrated Pumpkin Embalmer™ Soak in 3 gallons of water in a 5 gallon bucket or tub (bulk quantities available). Either before, or after you finish carving, soak your pumpkin in the solution overnight, but not more than 12 hours. (The same solution can be used over for more pumpkins.) After you remove your pumpkin from the solution, be sure to turn it upside down to allow it to dry. Any dried solution on the outside can be wiped or buffed off.
Pumpkin Embalmer™ acts as a pickling agent to make your pumpkin crisp to keep it from sagging and becoming mushy. Pumpkin Embalmer™ also acts as a fungicide to retard mold and decay!
Dr. Frybrain's™ Pumpkin Embalmer - Soak™
Price: $5.99 +
S&H for domestic orders. International
customers must click here for additional charges
Tip:
For best results, weigh your pumpkin and lid down with a brick or rock
to completely immerse it in the solution.
To treat larger pumpkins, or several pumpkins at the same time, mix with 15 gallons of water in a large, plastic garbage can!
Price: $29.95 $23.99
+ S&H for domestic orders. International
customers must click here for additional charges
Makes 15 Gallons for the price of 12!
Each 32 oz spray bottle gives you EIGHT TIMES the amount of solution you get from one bottle of Pumpkin Fresh™, for the SAME PRICE!
For our own carvings, we use both products, by soaking the pumpkins overnight, then spray them each day to maintain freshness.
Dr. Frybrain's™ Pumpkin Embalmer Spray™
Price: $4.99 +
S&H for domestic orders. International
customers must click here for additional charges
We can not stress enough, the fact that a Jack-O-Lantern is a fruit, and should be treated as such. Not only should you limit the amount of time you leave your carved pumpkins out, you should also limit the amount of time you illuminate them.
Think about it. What are you doing to your pumpkin when you place a lit candle inside? You are literally cooking it from the inside out. Also, we never place a candle inside a pumpkin without first cutting a chimney hole in the top, to vent out the heat.
Many folks also recommend coating the cut edges with petroleum jelly to prevent dehydration, but it is not as easy as it sounds. We prefer to wipe generous amounts of cooking oil all over our Jack-O-Lanterns using a paper towel. Not only is it something that you probably already have in your pantry, but it is extremely easy to apply, and gives your pumpkin a beautiful sheen! You can also use the same oil in our Vegetable Oil Candles.
Step 6: Daily Storage
When not on display, put your Jack-O-Lanterns inside a plastic garbage bag. This is no different than keeping your carrot and celery sticks in a zip-lock sandwich bag. You don't leave them out on the porch, do you? If at all possible keep your Jack-O-Lanterns in the refrigerator. Let's face it, no one is going to be looking at your masterpiece at 3:00 am anyway, so you may as well use that time to extend your pumpkin's life! If you do not have room in your refrigerator, then at least keep it somewhere to protect it from both the heat of the day and possibly freezing temperatures at night.
Step 7: Repair and Recovery
No matter what steps you take, your pumpkin will eventually succumb to the elements. It will begin to shrivel as it starts to dry out. When it does, you can usually bring it back to life by soaking it in cold water over night, but not any longer. Extra soaking time can swell the pumpkin and break any intricate or delicate carvings. Also, bacteria need two things to survive an multiply
1. Food (your pumpkin)
2. Water
If a part(s) your carving breaks off, you can usually reattach with toothpicks or straight pins.
No problem. We can include one with your order! Color and style may vary. (Pumpkin not included.)
Price: $5.99 + S&H for domestic orders. International customers must click here for additional charges
Tip:
A 5 gallon bucket will hold a medium sized pumpkin up to 33" around.