Tips on Preventing a Moldy Death For Carved Pumpkins

'Tis the season to scoop the guts out a pumpkin and stab a smile on it. Pumpkin carving is a Halloween tradition all around the country and a great way to spend time with your family. While the memories may last forever, the pumpkins won't. You will be lucky if you get to keep that pumpkin looking fresh for more than a couple of days.

As you can see from the photo above, the pumpkins my family carved two weeks ago, look like they need a proper burial. Since pumpkins are organic creatures, they need plenty of care to look fresh but will inevitably rot. Here are some tips according to thekitchn.com.

• Check your pumpkins skin for soft spots and blemishes when first picking them out. You might love the shape of one pumpkin, but it is covered in weird discolored spots or is soft to the touch. According to Mat Fraken and thekitchn.com, these spots could be a cozy home for pests to crawl into your pumpkin. You want to go for a firm, even colored pumpkin, specifically from a local pumpkin patch or store that avoided a long, touchy travel for the pumpkin.
• Once you start carving, try to get all the guts out. The cleaner and drier your pumpkin is, the slower it will rot. Spray peppermint soap on the pumpkin to slow the decomposition process, then wrap it and put it in the fridge at night.
• If you don't want that pumpkin to take up space in the fridge, let it stay outside, but when you see it start to wilt, rehydrate it by soaking the pumpkin in a bucket of cold water.
• Lastly, tons of different pumpkin preserver sprays are out there on the market. These are usually used to keep fruit flies off of the pumpkin. You know how gross those things can be, so it is no surprise that these flies make the pumpkins' empty shells their new home.

Have fun creating pumpkin artwork and make sure to share your masterpiece with us by sending a photo of it through our app, social media pages or emails!