How to make a Jack o'lantern!
Did your pumpkin end up as a mound of orange pulp last year? It’s time to bring back the jack
Step one – choose your pumpkin
In the world of pumpkins, size matters. They range from tiny orange orbs to enormous monstrosities that might seem more at home in The Little Shop of Horrors than on your windowsill.
Medium-sized ones (the size most supermarkets stock) are best for basic carving. If you’re a fan of pumpkin topiary you can carve some pretty amazing designs on larger ones, but it takes a lot of effort and skill.
Whatever size you choose, you need to make sure that it’s big enough to carve on, bright orange (which is a sign that it’s ripe) and free from bruises and cuts.
You should also make sure it has a stem (which is the green bit sticking out of the top), as you’ll need this to make a lid.
Once you’ve found your perfect pumpkin, pack it up nicely and take it home. Hours of ghoulish butchery await!
Step two – the preparation
First of all, make sure you’ve got the right tools. A large, flexible knife; an ice cream scoop or serving spoon; and a felt tip pen should cover it. (We’re sure you’re already aware of the whole ‘knife, sharp, easy there tiger’ thing, but try to be careful. Having 10 fingers is a good look.)
Step three – the butchery
a) Draw a circle or hexagon on top of the pumpkin. This will mark the area that you cut out and use as a lid.
b) Cut through the stem end of the pumpkin. They’re tough old things, so use the whole of the knife. We find that using the same technique as when you’re cutting a loaf of bread works well.
c) Pull out the stem and scrape off all of the seeds and pumpkin goo.
d) Using the ice-cream scoop or spoon, scrape out the insides of the pumpkin. At this point, we like to do out best Michael Myers/generic scary movie maniac impression – life’s too short not too.
e) Now it’s time to prettify your pumpkin. Use the felt-tip pen to draw a face on it. No need to be too detailed unless you really fancy yourself as the Picasso of Pumpkins (and it would probably look a bit weird if you did) – eyes, nose and mouth should be enough.
f) Get carving! Make sure that you push the knife all the way through the pumpkin, so that you can push the spare bits out when you’re done. BE CAREFUL NOT TO HAVE YOUR OTHER HAND ON THE INSIDE OF THE PUMPKIN WHILE CUTTING. Knife, flesh, blood, you know…not pretty.
g) Put a tealight in the pumpkin, light it and put the lid on. And there you have it – your very own pumpkin head. Remember not to leave it unattended, fire is an unpredictable beast.
If you’ve grown attached to your pumpkin, the sight of it shrivelling up can be quite traumatic. Some people suggest rubbing cooking oil or vaseline into it (although the merits of mixing a naked flame with something that comes from crude oil are lost on us, so we don’t recommend it). Or, you could head to www.pumpkinfresh.com and pick up a bottle of pumpkin preserver – your pumpkin will love it. Apparently.
Enjoy getting your ghoul on!
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