Stop! You’ve Been Carving Your Pumpkin Wrong This Whole Time

Pumpkin carving is one of the most exciting parts of October. Whether done alone or with family, there’s a magic to picking out a pumpkin, working on a design, and watching it come to life. But did you know there’s a right and wrong way to carve a pumpkin. Doing it wrong can even cause your pumpkin to rot faster, so read on to learn the right way to carve yours and make it last through the season.

How to Carve a Pumpkin the Right Way

If you’ve carved jack-o-lanterns before, you know that once you set them out on the porch, it’s a race between wildlife and rot to see who eats away at your pumpkins first. Carving your decorations the right way may not prevent your local rodents from getting a fun snack, but it can help to stave off the rot and give you a few extra days of Halloween magic.

Donaldson Farms published their tips and tricks guide to pumpkin carving, and their first tip involves the placement of the first hole.

While it’s common to start with a hole in the top, making it easy to remove the stem and scoop out the innards, this is not the best method. Instead, cut a hole in the back or the bottom of the pumpkin. Or, if you’re using a power washer to carve it, simply let the mouth serve as the hole. You should still save the piece you cut out, just like you would save the stem!

Why Should You Leave the Stem Attached to Your Pumpkin?

According to the folks at Donaldson Farms, the stem holds onto important nutrients your pumpkin needs to last as long as possible during the Halloween season. Without that stem, your pumpkin will fade and begin to rot much quicker, leaving you with the option of repeating the entire process to replenish your front porch decor or only getting to enjoy the jack-o-lanterns for a couple of days.

Professional pumpkin carver and co-founder of Maniac Pumpkin Chris Soria told Wirecutter he agreed with this approach, adding that “[the stem is] almost like the top of an umbrella holding the pumpkin together. If you cut through the top, after a day or two, that lid tends to fall right through the hole you’ve made. Then it’s only a matter of time before the pumpkin is completely gone.”

Sources

• Donaldson Farms: “Pumpkin Carving Tips & Tricks”
• Wirecutter: “Want Your Jack-o’-lantern to Last Longer? Stop Cutting a Hole in the Top!” 2024