Our friends invited us over this past Sunday for dinner and and evening of pumpkin carving. We always have so much fun when we visit - and our kids, um, teenagers are pretty much the same age so of course we said yes! I've honestly only ever carved a pumpkin maybe twice in my life. It's not that I didn't want to, just always seemed like there wasn't enough time. And yes, that makes me sad to say that because, this was so much fun and just a great time to spend together as a family and as friends. I can't help but think about the good times that we missed. BUT, instead of half empty, going to go with half full and think of the good times to come with our new tradition!
Alright! First things first...cut an opening at the top of the pumpkin around the stem (not to be confused as handle. Don't pick up a pumpkin by the stem because it could break and you will have splattered pumpkin on the ground!) Make sure you make the opening big enough to get your hand inside and scoop out all the inside!
Make sure you keep the seeds because after they are washed and prepared, you can roast them. Delicious!
Nice empty center! We're ready for the design!
You can freehand your drawing like my husband and Gary did, or...
You can print out a stencil and transfer the marking to the pumpkin using a push pin to mark the line or a rolling push pin of sorts to do the same thing.
Cut out your design! You can use a regular knife or a little cutter like in the top photo.
I should mention that when you are cutting out the top, be sure and cut at an angle so the top will rest back on the pumpkin like a lid. If not, it will fall right through and you'll end up with a pumpkin that looks like this!
