Carving 2009 Is Soon To Begin

Did you know? - While most people usually buy their Halloween pumpkins from stands or stores, some actually grow their own. While it's not as easy as sticking a seed in the ground and watering it occasionally, it isn't as difficult as you might think and can be a lot of fun.

Pumpkins grow best in a sunny area, preferably where they will receive at least six hours of direct sunlight every day. Generally pumpkins require four to five months of frost-free growing days to reach maturity. The seeds should not be planted until the temperatures consistently reach the low 70's during the day. this is usually in late May, but may be different depending on your local climate.

Did you know? - Pumpkins plants are vigorous growers and usually need some pruning just to keep them from taking over your property. Pumpkin plants have two vines, a main one and a secondary one that usually grow in opposite directions.

Each of these vines will produce secondary vines which can be selectively pruned as the plant grows. Generally you should try to cut these new side shoots as they begin to develop.

Only trim as much is as necessary to keep the plants in the garden space you're growing them in. If by the time a pumpkin has grown to the size of a grapefruit and looks unhealthy or shriveled, it should be removed. This will allow the healthy pumpkins more water and nourishment.

Did you know? - A jack-o'-lantern (sometimes also spelled Jack O'Lantern) is typically a carved pumpkin. It is associated chiefly with the holiday Halloween, and was named after the phenomenon of strange light flickering over peat bogs, called ignis fatuus or jack-o'-lantern.

In a jack-o'-lantern, typically the top is cut off, and the inside flesh then scooped out; an image, usually a monstrous face, is carved onto the outside surface, and the lid replaced. At night, a light is placed inside to illuminate the effect.

The term is not particularly common outside North America, although the practice of carving lanterns for Halloween is.

Did you know? - Throughout Ireland and Britain, there is a long tradition of carving lanterns from vegetables, particularly the turnip, mangelwurzel, or swede. But not until 1837 does jack-o'-lantern appear as a term for a carved vegetable lantern, and the carved lantern does not become associated specifically with Halloween until 1866. Significantly, both occurred not in Ireland or Britain, but in North America. Historian David J. Skal writes,

Although every modern chronicle of the holiday repeats the claim that vegetable lanterns were a time-honored component of Halloween celebrations in the British Isles, none gives any primary documentation. In fact, none of the major nineteenth-century chronicles of British holidays and folk customs make any mention whatsoever of carved lanterns in connection with Halloween. Neither do any of the standard works of the early twentieth century.

Did you know? - In America, the carved pumpkin was first associated with the harvest season in general, long before it became an emblem of Halloween. The poet John Greenleaf Whittier, who was born in 1807, wrote in "The Pumpkin" (1850):

Oh!—fruit loved of boyhood!—the old days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a candle within!

Did you know? - The world's largest jack o'lantern was carved from the world's largest pumpkin on October 31, 2005 in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, United States by Scott Cully . The pumpkin was grown by Larry Checkon and weighed 1,469 lb (666.33 kg) on October 1, 2005 at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association Weigh-off. The new record for largest pumpkin weighs in at 1,725 lbs (782.45 kg), grown by Nick and Kristy Harp.

Did you know? - Want to keep the pumpkin fresh after carving? The Answer? Chlorox Clean-Up Cleaner with Bleach. You could probably use any cleaner with bleach in it, but I used Chlorox Clean-Up. So, I suggest you go into the cleaner cabinet as soon as you are done carving and spray away. I spray all of the cut surfaces as well as the entire insides.

Don't forget to do the underside of your pumpkin's cap, it doesn't get a free pass. This one application seemed to increase the shelf-life of your pumpkin by 100%, all for just one spraying. I suppose you could do even better if you sprayed it every few days, but I didn't. After all, it's time on earth is fleeting.

Did you know? - Serious - Without humor or expression of happiness; grave in manner or disposition; earnest; thoughtful; solemn. Important; weighty; not trifling; leaving no room for play; needing great attention.