How soon is too soon to carve pumpkins? I want to carve them this Sunday. Will they be mush by Halloween?
It depends on how hot it is where you live. If it's really hot, they will only last a couple days, per experience!
I think if you do them on Sunday they will be a little soggy by Halloween. However, I have read (although, I have not tried it yet - so not sure if this will work) that putting lemon or lime juice (the 100% juice - not the artificial stuff) will help keep the pumpkin from rotting as fast.
The instructions we found said, also, to cut the BOTTOM out of your pumpkin instead of the top. Then you scoop out the seeds & gunk, scrape out a bit more of the inside fleshy part, dry out the inside of your pumpkin with paper towels or even newspaper, and then simply squirt the inside of your pumpkin with the lemon or lime juice.
After you have carved your pumpkin, you then put the bottom piece that you cut off back over the hole in the bottom, put the entire pumpkin on a plate, platter, or several layers of newspaper or paper towels to display.
They suggested that your pumpkin will last about 10 days or so (give or take depending on your climate, temperature, and humidity levels).
Good luck with your pumpkins - I am anxious to hear back how long yours lasted.
I hope not!!! We carved ours last weekend!
But I am up in Washington, our high today (and it was beautiful) was 58...nightime we are getting frost...so maybe in CA you will want to do them this weekend or closer to Halloween!
yeah, they'll mush. I think they only last about 3 days after you carve them. Just draw the faces on for now and cut them on the day before Halloween.
And not just heat, but humidity. Either one (or both together, like where we live in GA/FL) will ruin it in a matter of days. A week, max. I learned my lesson the hard way.... the kids STILL laugh till their sides hurt about the year that my jack-o-lantern fell into a pile of mush in front of the stand it was on...
We are doing ours on Sunday, so I hope they will not be mush, but I guess we will have to wait and see. I am concerned about mine freezing and thawing and how that will affect them.
My girls are going to a pumpkin carving party on Sunday and I know the pumpkins will be fine in our weather, it's mid 60's during the day. Are you in northern or southern CA? If your temps are mid 70 or higher, I would wait.
Yes they will probably get mushy.
Pumpkins are cheap here so I say go for it and buy some more if you need to.
Don't forget to toast the seeds, they are tasty!!
They should be fine. Pumpkins take a while to rot.
we are doing ours on sunday because or town has a pumpkin carving contest Monday night.
It really depends on the weather. Down in Torrance, you get a certain amount of fog, don't you? I have a cousin who lives there. Just keep them in the cool shade and they will likely be ok. Halloween is less than two weeks away now. If you are really nervous about it, wait until this weekend.
Have a spooky fun time.
