How do you preserve a pumpkin after carving so that it stays nice for a few days?

Question

First time carving a pumpkin
want it to stay nice at least until after Halloween.
Please help.

Answer 1

Rub vegetable oil or petroleum jelly onto freshly cut areas to delay aging. After carving your pumpkin, wipe the inside with bleach to deter the growth of mould. After 30 minutes, rub the cut areas and the inside with a dry cloth, then coat with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. To keep the jack-o’-lantern from drying out, cover it with a damp towel when it’s not on display.

Another way to keep them fresh is to use a pumpkin dip that is available at most grocery stores or stands that sell pumpkins during the Halloween season.

Answer 2

Preserve Pumpkin Carved

Answer 3

Preserving Carved Pumpkins

Answer 4

To keep a pumpkin from drying out, cover it with a damp towel when it is not on display. To make your pumpkin last longer, wait for half an hour after you finish carving, then rub the cut areas and inside with a dry cloth and apply a protective coating such as petroleum jelly, clear furniture wax, or vegetable oil painted on with a brush. Some expert pumpkin carvers use several coats of lacquer or hair spray, which gives it a nice glossy finish.

Answer 5

Hi Di,
I just read a First for Women magazine last week. They suggest you put vaseline on all the cut parts this seals in all the juices that would otherwise wrinkle up the pumpkin. Of course I thought it sounded stupid but it really works we've had the pumpkin for a week now of course outside where it'a cooler, & still LQQKing good as we used those touchlights instead of candles. So we will be making at least 20 to line the driveway a week before Halloween, with all the grandkids.
Happy Halloween & have a good day! :0)

Answer 6

scrape the interior well. get out the rubber gloves, and a bit of cotton fabric you'll soon throw out. after a thorough scraping (reduce walls to 3/4" or so, get to the really solid flesh) saturate the cotton in a bleach solution - 1/4 cup bleach to 3/4 cup water - and wipe down the interior of your masterpiece. Wait a few minutes then dab the interior with a paper towel to soak up any remaining bleach. Let sit for ten or twenty minutes, then dab again. Now - the trick that is a treat - sure, vaseline will work, but there is an easier way - use PAM spray ! If you're going to keep the pumpkin outside, even WD-40 would work , just remember that you really ought to wait a few minutes before lighting a candle if you used wfd40 to cut down on moisture loss.

Answer 7

To keep your carved pumpkin looking good, wipe out the inside and then smear a little petroleum jelly on all the exposed, cut edges.
This stops the moisture from getting out and your pumpkin from starting to wrinkle. Using a plant mister can help keep your pumpkin lantern moist.

If you see any signs of shrivelling soak your pumpkin in a bowl of cold water for about half an hour. Adding a tiny amount of household bleach to the water will help kill off any bacteria and slow down any mould growth. Also placing it in a plastic bag in the fridge can help keep it going for much longer.
Have a Happy Halloween!

Answer 8

You can help make your pumpkin last longer if you follow any of these steps:

Wash your hands and tools with anti-bacterial soap before carving. This keeps out nasties that rot the pumpkin.
Cut the bottom out of the pumpkin instead of the top. This helps retain moisture, and makes it easier to put on top of your light/candle.
Spray the finished pumpkin with Lysol spray, also the kill off the nasties.
Keep your pumpkin in a cool, dark place. A refrigerator is great if you have room...
Keep the pumpkin covered in plastic wrap when not being displayed, or better yet, recycle a plastic grocery bag.
Coat the cut and peeled areas of the pumpkin with Vaseline. Be careful not to get it too gooey, or picking up your pumpkin may be an adventure!
Don't keep your pumpkin lit unless you're using it. Otherwise the pumpkin can "cook" from the inside out from all the heat.



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Answer 9

Apply a light coating of petroleum jelly on the cuts. It will seal the wound and the pumpkin will last longer. After carving, place the pumpkin in a cool, dark place. It will spoil quickly if left at room temperature and will attract fruit flies.

Answer 10

Rub vegetable oil or petroleum jelly onto freshly cut areas to delay aging. After carving your pumpkin, wipe the inside with bleach to deter the growth of mould. After 30 minutes, rub the cut areas and the inside with a dry cloth, then coat with petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. To keep the jack-o’-lantern from drying out, cover it with a damp towel when it’s not on display.
If you have a spare refrigerator, you can empty it out and keep them in it over night to slow down decomposition.

Another way to keep them fresh is to use a pumpkin dip that is available at most grocery stores or stands that sell pumpkins during the Halloween season. Pumpkin dip is mixed with water in a large container and the pumpkins are submerged in it, sometimes over night, in order to preserve them. This is a tedious and messy way to keep your pumpkins fresh as you have to do it every night after they have been carved.

If all else fails and you still find your carving starting to shrivel, submerse the pumpkin in cold water to rehydrate the carving. It should soak anywhere from about 1/2 an hour to 2 hours, depending the amount of shriveling that has occurred and the intricacy of the carving. from whatscookinginamerica.net

Answer 11

I just paint mine. I use acrylics and copy pictures from magazines or internet. Then I use a clear spray varnish to keep the paint on well.I add textured yarns for hair,scarves,or vines.They keep well and then you can use the pumpkin insides for later.I also put felt hats on some. I painted a green frankinstein the other day and it was too cute. I made one for my granddaughter that was pink with purple flowers and green and orange polka dots! Thinking outside the box can make some unusual pumpkins!It is safer to paint than carve also! Have fun!