My kids and I carved pumpkins for the first time this year. We invested quite a bit of time in the carving. We don't have a yard so the pumpkins went into our apartment and we put tealight candles inside of them. Two days later I noticed they were limp. I inspected them and they were soft, leaking and covered with mold inside. So the kids and I were disappointed to say the least. Is there any way to make them last longer inside the house? Or do we need to have them outside to make them last?
Wow, thanks everyone for all the great responses. We have limited fridge space, and in our complex we are not allowed to put anything outside of our apartment. I think I may get a couple of little pumpkins and do an experiment this year, so the kids are not disappointed next year. I am thinking of trying to dry out the pumpkin in the oven a bit on low??? Then with the other I will try vaseline/salt and cinnamon. We shall see which one fares better. I may end up just using an ice chest to preserve them when they are not decorating our meal area for meals! Plus I will take the seeds and plant them on my Mom's property, and grow our own small patch.
We carve pumpkins every year. We coat the flesh with vaseline and this helps the pumpkin last a little bit longer (about a week or so). Then we sprinkle the flesh of the pumpkin top with cinnamon so when you light the candle, you're house starts to smell like pumpkin pie!
I think the excitement is that they are like cut flowers..and once you cut into them, the air oxidizes them, the heat creates the mold and the magic is over, like fireworks and birthday candles...
Cold is needed for food preservation. Just like an open banana or cut apple a pumpkin will start to deteriorate without either natural (winter) or man made refrigeration. I usually carve my pumpkins a day or two before Halloween so they are nice for the big day, then toss them on November first. If you want a pumpkin to carve a masterpiece on and save it forever, craft stores sell those fake pumpkins made out of that material you can carve up.
Nothing beats the experience of carving a real pumpkin though. The smell, texture and eating the baked seeds of the gourd all make the holiday for me. As I carve my pumpkins I think about those Tibetan Buddhist monks working for years on their mandala sand paintings, only to destroy them upon completion to demonstrate the impermanence of pretty much everything in life.
I read an article that said to coat the inside and any cut edges with vasoline. I didn't try it but it sounds like it might work.My daughter did some beautiful carving/sketching in the pumpkin rather then cutting into it.It's a great way to practice carving. Better luck next year
Even when you put them outside, sometimes pumpkins get soft and moldy really fast. We had one of our four pumpkins fall apart on us this year, and we kept them all outside! So I think it also depends upon how fresh the pumpkin is when you bring it home in the first place. Next year, I think we are going to try going to a place where they actually grow the pumpkins, and try to get them right off the vine. If anybody else has any suggestions on this, I would be curious to know for future reference.
When my old boss first moved to California from NY, he was very disappointed to see how quickly his pumpkins molded. He didn't realize snow was such a huge factor in keeping them fresh. I don't think there is any way to keep them solid. Maybe if you went to a pumpkin patch where you actually pick them rather then where they get them trucked in. Maybe make a little potted garden and plant your own. We wait until a few days before and carve them then. We did ours on Monday and they were completely moldy by Halloween.
Best of luck,
C.
Unfortunately, living in California it is just too warm for a pumpkin to last. You're basically leaving out a piece of ripe fruit. When I lived in upstate New York, it was so cold outside the pumpkins would last for weeks on the porch! Here, you just have to carve them on Halloween or a day before if you want them looking their best for the trick-or-treaters.
Picking them fresh doesn't seem to matter either. We have used pumpkins out of the garden as well and they melt pretty fast. I wonder if you carve them a few days before Halloween and let them sit outside so that the inner parts are dried out before you insert that warm candle if that would help preserve them. It seems the fresh moist pumpkin meets warm candle would cause mold, etc to expand quickly.
Hi Tara!
Yes, they mold up FAST, don't they! For the last 4 years, we have been doing our carving the morning of Halloween, EXCEPT this year. We didn't have time with our soccer schedule.
So instead, I bought these "face pieces" from Walmart, and we went to the Pumpkin Patch in the late afternoon on Halloween (late, I know). Instructions: no carving! Simply "push in" your choice of eyes, ears, horns, mouth, noses, etc.... I ended up getting 4 pumkins per kid (including a small one). They had SO MUCH FUN making faces with their pumpkins and I didn't do ANYTHING but pay for the product! Oh, I PRAY that we do that next year :O)
Yes, carving pumpkins is part of the "fun" of Halloween, but we just didn't have the time, and we might have found an really fun alternative :O) We'll see what my boys want to do next year.
Oh, just FYI....even though we didn't "carve" the pumpkins, they were OUTSIDE and STILL began "leaking" within 2 days after Halloween.....so it's normal, I guess.
~N. :o)
Hi T.,
My Mom always had us sprinkle the cut surfaces and entire inside with salt...helps dry it up. I've never done a side by side comparison though, so I'm not sure if it really works, but our always lasted longer than the two days I keep reading. Worth a try--quick, easy and cheap!
Dear T.,
Carved pumpkins are so pretty and fun. We always rinse the seeds and soak them in a kosher salt brine, drain, and bake them in the oven. They make a wonderful snack!
The poor pumpkins themselves, well, they don't live long after carving. Uncarved pumpkins last for months!
I let my kids paint pumpkins to decorate them and those last longer, but we cook the seeds and know the ones we actually carve won't be with us for long.
Believe it or not, you can take some of the raw seeds and sprinkle them in a spot in your yard and pumpkin vines will spring up. We had an uncarved pumpkin out in our yard that due to the rain finally got squishy. I took it out in the back yard and left it there to decompose and we ended up with an accidental pumpkin patch. It was pretty cool!
Hi T., As you have read by now they begin too rot within 2 days of carving them. If you dont carve them they will last for months outside.
Dear T.,
When I first came to the US I too started to carve pumkins and in my opinion they just don't last much longer. The first time I read somewhere to rub the inside with Vaseline, which I did. And to put them in the fridge... Because I hardly ever have the space I don't bother. I carve the pumpkins the day before and toss them 2 days later... Colder temperatures would help (fridge) but in California you don't get them cold enough to make a difference... Better luck next year. And take lots of pictures while carving and in the evening because these unlike the real thing last. A.
This year we picked them and they lasted a bit longer (I think a week)
we did keep them outside.
The sooner you carve them the sooner they go bad.
Last year we carved a few days early so I wraped in suranwrap and pit in the frig.
We carved for the first time this year too. I learned that you have to wait until the week of Halloween to carve and then rub gobs of petroleum to keep the moisture inside and outside the pumpkin. Once carved it only last a few days. Good luck next year! Take pictures, it last longer!
Hi T.
The only year we successfully managed to keep our pumpkins until Halloween was the year we 1) rubbed the pumpkins in vaseline and 2) kept them in the refrigerator only to be taken outside from the time it got dark until we went to bed.
That combination seemed to work for us. But I also think it was not as hot during the day that year as it has been this year. The cold weather came late this year and I think that has a big impact on hold long the pumpkins last.
This is a great question! I found this link really helpful: http://www.pumpkinpatchesandmore.org/carvedpumpkins.php
We tried the Clorox solution this year and it really helped. Hope this helps!
Hello T.~ I too am a homeschooler to my son (7) and soon my daughter. We enjoy carving pumpkins each year and they only last a few days tops without any help. The warmth and humidity in your house is what caused the molding, try sticking them in your fridge or placing them just outside your front door or on a cold windowsill if you can. I have never tried wrapping them with foil or plastic wrap but that might work too. You could also keep them in a cooler during the day and then bring them out at night to light. Hope that helps!
hi T.! once cut into, they simply don't last long at all: they do mold and degrade quite quickly, inside or outside (and i suspect it takes only a day or so longer for the outside ones since they're kept colder) -
amazing how quickly they start to rot, eh? i'm always surprized, too, and ours are outside in the shade!
cheers,
S.
Mine have always been outside and they've always gone bad within a few days. I've thought about rubbing the inside with lemon juice to see if that helps(?) Another option: if you don't carve your pumpkins they last a really long time and they make lovely fall decor, especially next to some potted flowers.
I heard that hairspray sprayed on the cut areas worked, I tried it this year and I think that it may have helped, though I think I may try the Vaseline and I love the idea of the cinnamon. Also instead of the votives get those little battery operated votives, no fire hazard and less heat. Good Luck!
Even if you get pumpkins from the patch, they will mold quickly once they are cut. Pumpkins that are very firm and have drier flesh seem to keep longer after carving -- but often you can't tell until you cut into the pumpkin!
