To Carve or Not to Carve
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| Two Pumpkins – John as a baby |
Ever wonder why we carve pumpkins? I just learned via the internet that carving of vegetables has been going on since the Celts in Ireland many centuries ago. They carved glowing jack-o-lanterns, from turnips, or gourds, to welcome deceased loved ones and also act as protection against evil spirits. These jack-o-lanterns were illuminated by lumps of coal and then candles.
When Europeans arrived in America they adopted the pumpkin to carve – it was much larger and easier to shape. Halloween didn’t really catch on big in this country until the late 1800’s and has been celebrated in so many ways ever since! Isn’t it funny how pagan traditions are the origins of our current holiday traditions (also the Christmas tree)?
To this day, I still remember the first time I carved a pumpkin with my mom. She cut the top off and told me to scoop out the seeds. I put my hand inside the pumpkin and really didn’t like how the seeds and slimy strings felt. If I’m honest, I still don’t really like how the insides feel, but neither do my kids so I have to scoop it out. If you get the seeds out you might want to roast them. Think of it as kind of a reward for all the hard work. They are delicious. I love them seasoned with just salt or with cumin. Check out the Food Network for some great ideas for roasting.
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| John scooping the seeds – yuck! |
Each year I look forward to carving our pumpkins. John loves coming up with some funny ideas. I’ve seen some great inspiration online, too.
Look at this hamburger pumpkin:
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Isn’t that hilarious? Or maybe you are more into scary things for Halloween, like this vampire pumpkin from Martha Stewart:
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| From Martha Stewart |
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| From Martha Stewart |
Isn’t that beautiful? I love the little fairy light effect. We still have to carve our pumpkins this year and I think we’ll do it this weekend. The squirrels have been quite ravenous this year and have eaten two pumpkins so far. So I’ve been a bit hesitant. I’m sure you can imagine how upset the kids will be if a squirrel attacks one of our carved pumpkins.
We often use a carving kit. The kids like to look through the templates for ideas and they really are so easy to use. Here is what we’ve done in the passed:
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| 2007 |
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| 2009 |
Last year we tried two different things. One carved and one not. We carved the first pumpkin and gave it twig hair:
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| 2010 |
The second was our little pirate Mr. Potato Head; had great little lumps and warts. The kids loved him. It was quicker and easier than carving, especially if you use a drill (like we did). I think I found the pieces at Target last year for something like $5:
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| 2010 |
