Learn how to preserve pumpkins and keep your carved pumpkins looking their best all the way thru Halloween and beyond.

Pumpkin PandemoniumA favorite local business of mine, is Hillermann Nursery & Florist, and this time of year it is SO fun to visit!

You can see my visit to their Pumpkin Pandemonium in 2009

and my fall visit in 2008.

I’m getting a late start this year……..but I’m planning my annual fall visit for this weekend.  I can’t wait to fill my porch and yard with all the orange, red and yellow!

I LOVE Hillermann’s tips on preserving pumpkins.

How to Preserve Pumpkins to Make them Last Longer

Learn how to preserve pumpkins and keep your carved pumpkins looking their best all the way thru Halloween and beyond. All pumpkins are going to rot away eventually, and there are a lot of myths about how to preserve pumpkins. But after extensive testing, some pumpkin enthusiasts proved that treating pumpkins with bleach held out the longest. Find out more at TidyMom.net

Preserve pumpkins for Carving

  1. Place your pumpkin in a washtub of cold water, it will absorb the water and become very firm.
  2. Cut open the top of the pumpkin and clean out all the seeds.
  3. Fill a washtub, sink, or large bucket with cold water, and add a small amount of unscented bleach to the water to prevent premature mold and bacteria growth. Soak the pumpkin in the cold bleach water for an hour or two.
  4. If you have fine detail carving you want to do, you may want to let your pumpkin soak overnight. This will firm up the pumpkin flesh and allow you to do carving that is more intricate.
  5. Once you have carved your pumpkin, you can add a thin amount of petroleum jelly on the exposed cut edges. This will help seal moisture in the flesh of the pumpkin.

Revive a Dried Out Pumpkin

  • If the pumpkin dries out, it will shrivel. You can try to revive a shriven pumpkin by soaking it in a bath of cold water for one to eight hours. Longer is better. Overnight will not hurt.

How to Prepare Carved Pumpkins Ahead of Time

  • You can prepare your pumpkins ahead of time and keep them fresh for a future party or gathering.
  • Soak them first, following directions for preserving pumpkins for carving (above).
  • After carving, wrap the pumpkin in plastic wrap to hold in the moisture and store them in the refrigerator (not the freezer). They will stay fresh this way for a very long time.
  • When ready to display: remove carved pumpkin from refrigerator, discard plastic wrap and immediately dry it off. This prevents mold from having a chance to grow.

NOTE:  All pumpkins are going to rot away eventually, and there are a lot of myths about how to preserve pumpkins.  But after extensive testing, some pumpkin enthusiasts proved that treating pumpkins with bleach held out the longest.

Don’t you just love this time of year!!………all the pumpkins…….all the color?

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