Mushy Pumpkins are Scarier Than Intended 

When we first moved to Southern Utah from up north, we carved some traditional Jack-O-Lanterns by removing the insides and cutting away eyes and a smile. This was a couple weeks before Halloween and we placed our creations on the front porch with some candles inside. 

You know what happened next. A couple days later our creations were melting into a new horror and by the time the big day came, they were an orange squash puddle on the porch. This Halloween tradition was not made for this desert climate. 

Rotting Pumpkin
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Ways To Preserve Your Pumpkin 

If you don’t go with the plastic pumpkin and want to preserve a traditional carved gourd, there are some suggestions. You can try dipping it in bleach or spraying it with WD40. These are supposed to keep fungus from growing that breaks it down. 

I haven’t had much success with this method. It might extend them a little, but they still look pretty bad in a short time. You can wait until the day of and do your carving. This will at least look good when the kids come knocking. 

Pumpkin Smile
https://youtu.be/kbcJVg3sM8Y?si=8Dx7fDiwoeNWpkcZ
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This is the option I go with. I only carve the outer skin of the pumpkin. You can make an amazing face or even a Halloween scene by just taking off the orange skin in places. The pumpkin looks good and won’t rot immediately. 

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The other option is to paint the outside. If you have skills, this isn’t a bad option. Break out the finger paints and let the kids make a Halloween mess. It can't be any worse than all those slimy insides getting everywhere.

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Gallery Credit: Danielle Kootman

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