The tradition of carving a face into the Halloween pumpkin began centuries ago with the jack o'lantern from an Irish myth. The pumpkin, which originated in Central America, is a large fruit that is 90 percent water, grows on a vine and is a good source of important nutrients, such as vitamin A, potassium, magnesium, calcium and beta carotene. Pumpkins are used in a variety of foods, as animal feed and, of course, as Halloween decorations. After Halloween, the question is how to avoid wasting a good pumpkin.
Step 1
Select a pumpkin that will last longer to make sure the pumpkin survives carving and Halloween in a useable state. Choose a pumpkin that has 1 to 2 inches of stem, to prevent fast decay. Make sure the pumpkin is heavy and has no deformities, soft spots or blemishes.
Step 2
Make a cut with a sharp knife around the top of the pumpkin about 3 inches out from the stem to remove the top of the pumpkin. Place the pumpkin in the sink or use newspapers to avoid a mess.
Step 3
Lift the top of the pumpkin and remove all of the seeds. Place the seeds in a colander, rinse them, remove all of the stringy pulp and pat the seeds dry with paper towels. Store the pumpkin seeds until you are ready to bake or roast them in the oven, which requires 400 degrees Fahrenheit and 25 minutes.
Step 4
Scoop all of the thick, orange pulp from inside the pumpkin and any remaining pulp from the pumpkin top and place all of it in a large bowl. Use a scraper and a large spoon to make sure you get all of the pulp down to the white layer beneath the skin of the pumpkin. Your pumpkin is ready for carving.
Step 5
Steam the pumpkin pulp in a large pot over water for about 30 minutes or until the pulp is tender.
Step 6
Puree the tenderized pulp using a food processor or mash the pulp by hand. If you do not intend to use the pulp soon, place it in freezer bags and put the pulp in the freezer. Use the pureed pumpkin pulp to make soup, baked pies and cakes, milk shakes, ice cream and other dishes.
Step 7
Peel the skin from the pumpkin after Halloween and cut the rind into 2-inch squares. The inch-thick rind should be white-colored. Your pickled rind recipe will require sugar, vinegar, fresh ginger and cinnamon sticks. The rinds are soaked overnight in vinegar, dried and boiled in clean vinegar with the other ingredients for about three hours over a low heat until the rinds are translucent yellow.
Tips and Warnings
- Some people use water-based paints to draw faces on pumpkins for Halloween to preserve the whole pumpkin for use. Sweet pumpkins or pie pumpkins are best for cooking; however, the larger pumpkins intended for Halloween carving are sufficient for cooking even though they have more water and are less sweet, according to the University of Illinois Extension. A very small amount of lemon juice added to pureed pulp prevents freezer burn.
Things You'll Need
- Knife
- Scraper
- Spoon or scoop
- Plastic bags
References
- University of Illinois Extension: Pumpkin History
- University of Illinois Extension: Pumpkin Facts
- Fruits and Veggies More Matters: Pumpkin - Nutrition, Selection, Storage
- University of Illinois Extension: Selection and Use -- Selecting a Pumpkin
- Better Recipes with Kristina Vanni: How to Cook Pumpkin Seeds
- The Daily Green: Carving a Jack-o-Lantern this Weekend? Here's How to Cook the Pumpkin Goop!
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