Pumpkin Carving for Beginners

Are you a new parent looking to carve a great pumpkin with your children? Or just trying to impress your neighbors? Everyone starts somewhere, and if you are anything like me you haven't carved pumpkins since you were a child yourself. Come along with me a rediscover this great fall pastime!

Begin by choosing a pumpkin that speaks to you. It can be very large or smallish, have interesting colorations or a uniform shade. The best part of pumpkin choosing is that you can get whichever one you want. There are no rules to follow- go to your local pumpkin patch or your supermarket; take as much time or as little as you want choosing a pumpkin.

Once you get your pumpkin home cut a circle around the stem, giving you access to the "guts" of the pumpkin. Use a large spoon to scoop out the seeds and strings from the inside of the pumpkin. Save the seeds to roast for a healthy snack or great garnishes.

Now your pumpkin is ready for carving. You can print free templates from the internet. The following are a few of the sites I use:

DLTK provides great free templates including everything from bats to haunted houses!

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/mpatterns.htm

If you have a little princess in your house visit this site for Disney templates. Create a Snow White, Mickey Mouse, or Winnie the Pooh!

http://family.go.com/holidays/pkg-pumpkin-templates/

The Pumpkin Wizard provides template patters by theme. They have hundreds to choose from. Check out their well organized site to find the perfect one!

http://www.carvingpumpkins.com/patterns.html

Once you have chosen your template, print it! Simple as that. Now tape your template to your pumpkin and carve out the pattern by following the lines provided on the paper. Here are some tips to help get great results.

When you are scraping out the pumpkin make sure to scrape out as much of the "meat" as you can from the side you will be carving. The thinner it is the easier it will be to carve. Remember not to pick a pattern that is full of small lines or one that has you carving out large portions of the pumpkin with only a small portion remaining (for example: carving out a large face section and leaving the eyes).

As you are carving your pumpkin the template might start slipping out of place. Don't panic! You can use push pins to hold it onto the pumpkin, or simply apply more tape!

If you have small children helping you this year, allow them to express themselves by finger painting the pumpkins instead of trying to carve them. This will let them create their own masterpiece without the adult having to complete most of the project.