PUMPKINS
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DON'T FORGET!
Before heading out to the pumpkin patch, make sure you bring a wagon or a container to bring back your pumpkins. You can also borrow a pair of garden sheers from the store to make the pumpkin picking process easier. Pumpkin picking is available from 10AM to 6PM weekdays and 10AM to 5PM weekends during pumpkin season. Note that after Thanksgiving, pumpking picking is only available weekdays due to the Spooky Wagon Ride running on weekend days.
PUMPKIN PICKING TIPS
This is an excellent family event and one not to be rushed. Don’t forget to bring your camera!
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Pick your pattern before you pick your pumpkin.
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Find the colour of the pumpkin you want, (orange, brown, white) and try to get one that has a uniform colour over the whole pumpkin.
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Pumpkins come into two general shapes: the typical sphere like a basketball or the oblong oval like a watermelon. The oval ones are good for carving detailed faces. Depending on what you are going to carve, you might want a long pumpkin or a shorter stubby pumpkin.
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Warts and bumps on a pumpkin can be made to fit into the finished carving. Scarring is normal. A lot of people say it spurs creativity — you can use that scar for a mouth or whatever. If the pumpkin is going to have to sit up straight, make sure it does so. If it leans in one direction, the side facing the ground will be the back and the side facing up is the front.
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Make sure your pumpkin is sound and has no potential rot. Black or discoloured areas and soft or pliable spots are a good indication of developing rot. Make sure you check the bottom too.
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If you are going to pick your own pumpkin from a pumpkin patch:
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Make sure you have boots or outdoor shoes. Pumpkins grow on the ground and if it has rained recently, or there have been heavy dew mornings, the ground can be quite wet or muddy.
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Bring a sharp knife or pruner or get one from the pumpkin patch owners.
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Once you find the pumpkin you need to remove it from the vine. It is important to make a clean cut, leaving a good amount of the stalk (vine) on the pumpkin. NEVER pick up the pumpkin by this stalk. The pumpkin could break free from the stalk. Always lift the whole pumpkin.
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Once you have picked out your pumpkin don’t roll, throw, or drop it. A pumpkin that can roll around in the trunk of a car can easily get bruised and rot will soon start. Bring a box to put in your vehicle trunk and put the pumpkin into the box.
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After you get home with the pumpkin it will need to be stored if you’re not going to carve it right away. Keep your pumpkin in a dry cool place. Do not store it on concrete. If you must put the pumpkin on a concrete floor, put a layer of cardboard under it.
SAFETY FIRST!
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Keep your finished pumpkin on a metal pie or cookie pan, especially if indoors. This keeps any dripping wax that might get through the pumpkin off the furniture and when the pumpkin begins to go bad, prevents messy spills and stains.
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Do not leave a pumpkin unattended with a lit candle inside.
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When using knives, even a pumpkin carving knife:
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do not let very young children use them
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always point knives away from you
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keep your free hand away from the direction of the knife
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use a slicing motions, like cutting a sandwich, and never force the knife.
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REMEMBER!
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For a unique jack-o-lantern, add a little glow paint, or fake blood.
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Insert a bowl into a carved pumpkin and add dry ice and warm water to create an extra spooky, smoke filled jack-o’-lantern.
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Apply a light coating of petroleum jelly on all cuts to seal the wounds and make the pumpkin last longer.
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If you need to keep a carved pumpkin for a few days, keep it in a cool, dark place to slow spoilage and lessen fruit flies.
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You can usually revive shrunken pumpkins by soaking them in a bucket of water.