When I was a kid growing up in Northern California, one of my favorite times of year was when we would visit the local pumpkin field and pick out our Halloween Pumpkins. Interestingly enough, the method by which I selected my pumpkin seemed to vary greatly from year to year.
Some years my pumpkin search was based on finding the most flawless and perfectly sphere-shaped pumpkin, and the next year I might choose one with a more crooked shape, whose very flaws charmed and endeared me into adopting it and taking it home.
Looking back, I feel lucky to have grown up in a more rural area with some local farming influences around me, but it seems no matter where you live, these days pumpkins are readily available for purchase almost everywhere this time of year. So grab some pumpkins, bring them home and let’s get started with your party.
Some things to first consider are whether your party will be geared around small children or if it will be primarily an adult party. If your party is based solely around small children, you will need to carefully choose appropriate carving tools that will be safe for little hands or consider choosing stencils, markers or stickers, that can be used as a substitute for pumpkin carving.
But whether your Pumpkin Carving Party is for kids or adults, scooping out the inside of your pumpkin is the first essential step in making a Jack-o-lantern. So, as the host of the party, you can either choose to scoop out and prepare all of your pumpkins for your guests, or you can leave it up to them to roll up their sleeves and scoop it out themselves. If you decide to let your guests do the scooping out process, you can have them save the pumpkin seeds, so they can be roasted later on.
The scooping out process can be as simple as using a large sized sturdy kitchen spoon, but if you have a lot of pumpkins to clean out, then this battery operated Pumpkin Masters Power Scoop might be a big help for getting the job done more quickly.
Image: amazon.com
This kids pumpkin decorating kit is geared towards kids ages 6 and up, and includes a couple of basic carving tools, in addition to providing some simple to apply Halloween Stickers that are fun for all ages.
Image: amazon.com
Ray Villafane’s outrageous pumpkin carving talents have produced some astoundingly remarkable works of pumpkin art, so if your adult guests aspire to becoming pumpkin carving pros, they can begin by using this Ray Villafane Pumpkin Carving Tool Set. Now turn out the lights and light up those Jack-o-lanterns just in time for Halloween.
Image: culinarysupplies.org
