How Do You Preserve a Pumpkin Once Its Carved?

Ha, I remember a few early Martha Stewart articles about carved Pumpkins and a fresh Cranberry wreath.

She said in warm climates, they should be brought in each night and refrigerated.

We just leave the carved pumpkins outside, but we do not carve it till it is closer to Halloween.. It was still in the low 90's here last week.

We lived in Iowa for 10 years, and never really had a problem... however, we didn't usually carve it until the weekend before Halloween, and the nights were cool enough to keep it in pretty good shape.

However, when we moved to Texas in '92, we followed that same pattern... and were very surprised to see it dissolve before Halloween! After that, we didn't carve them until just a day or two before Halloween.

If your pumpkin is small enough, you can put it in the fridge... that will help some, but not completely.

I coat the inside with hair spray and stick cloves in it.

Coating the cut surfaces with a thin layer of vaseline also helps.

Just don't do the hair spray and vaseline together.

You have to keep it outside in the cold. It will go bad if you keep it in the house.

Dawn

Eh, I just let them go the way of the do-do. :) Makes them look slightly creepier as they "melt."

IF someone else has a great idea, I might use it next year, though. :)

We read one year that vasoline helped. It didnt and then everything was stuck to it. We tried so many things and I dont even remember what they were, but I think there is not much you can do.

Here's what I found... Rub vegetable oil or petroleum jelly onto freshly cut areas to delay aging. After you carve it, wipe the inside with bleach to deter the growth of mold. After 30 minutes, rub the cut areas and the inside with a dry cloth, then coat with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. To keep the jack-o’-lantern from drying out, cover it with a damp towel when it’s not on display.

I've had good success with a THIN layer of petroleum jelly (aka vasoline), it helps seal in the moisture in the pumpkin. If you see it start to wither you can also dunk it in a bucket of water for a little while. But I never carve mine till a few days before Halloween, usually.

Cut pumpkins are susceptible to heat, damp and rot. Keep them cold, keep them from getting too moist, and keep air circulating under and around them.

Being as far north as you are, heat shouldn't be a problem. Do the wipe with bleach thing, then do the coat with vaseline thing and you can get a little more life out of him.

We paint, or use permanent marker on our real pumpkins. We glue stuff on them, we bedazzle them etc. We got a few pre-lit pre-carved foam pumpkins that we set out among the real ones for effect.

good luck to you and yours,
F. B.

I have not tried this, but I read on Pinterest that sprinkling those silica packets (that come in new purses, wallets etc) will help with that.

We just lost one of our little pumpkins that my son and I got on his field trip on the 5th, so it kept for 10 days or so, not carved. The farm owner told us to keep it elevated, and not set it right on the steps, which we didn't do...so it's mushy. Only one of them though.

Other than that, I have no idea.

Rub cut edges with Vaseline, will help keep it fresher longer. :0)

I just read something this week, but I can't remember exactly what the article said. Hopefully one of the other mamas can help. It was about coating with vegetable oil. I think it was just the carved areas.

A pumpkin definitely wouldn't last in my climate, which is why we don't carve until right before Halloween. I think you may have to end up buying another one & doing the same.