Preserving Jack

Fall is amongst us and it is one of my favorite seasons. It is the one time of the year when Mother Nature elegantly paints her leaves with a gorgeous array of colors, and lays a bed of leaves on the ground so that memories can be made as we dive into natures beauty.

 It is also the one time of year that families gather together and make long lasting memories at the local pumpkin farms. Fact: did you know that 90 percent of the pumpkins grown in the United States alone are raised within a 90-mile radius of Peoria, Illinois?

Every year families gather to pumpkin farms all around the country to (Top pumpkin production states are Illinois, California, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Michigan.) enjoy the essence of finding the perfect pumpkin in the patch. It's a wonderful tradition to start with your family. 

As we all know, pumpkins come in all shapes and sizes, but when you find yours and I know you will! He will need to be preserved. Now, please do not think you need to preserve your pumpkin, you can also choose leave him Au Naturale. However, if you choose to preserve the life of Jack. I have found some tips to help you so he will live a longer life.

For Starters! When prepping your pumpkin(s) for carving, you should remove as much of the pumpkin pulp as possible, so the inside flesh of the pumpkin would be dry and provide a uniform surface for topical application of the preservative treatments. 

The Treatments are: Bleach, Acrylic Spray, and Vaseline.

Bleach Method: Soak your pumpkin in a  bleach solution (1 tsp. bleach/gallon water) for 8 hours and thereafter keeping the pumpkin hydrated by spraying the pumpkins flesh with a mild bleach solution, while the bleach is an antimicrobial. 

Acrylic Spray: spray the inside flesh with acrylic finish spray. The spray is intended to seal the pumpkin flesh, preventing dehydration and acting as a barrier to mold growth. 

Vaseline: coat the inside and cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. This is intended to keep the pumpkin flesh from dehydrating. 

Your pumpkin could last up to 10 days by preserving it with any of these methods and slowing down the molding process. 

If you try to preserve your pumpkin, please let me know how it worked for you and what method you chose to preserve Jack.  Please remember to use appropriate protection when using any kind of chemicals and as always wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water. :)