Friday, October 17, 2014

Prolong the Life of Your Pumpkin

"Pumpkins" by James Wilcox is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
Halloween season is upon us! It’s the time of year for candy corn, costumes and pumpkin carving! While carving a Jack-O-Lantern is fun, it is also time-consuming, so you want your work of art to last as long as possible, right? Here are some natural ways to extend the life of your pumpkin from Apartment Therapy.


Scrape and discard the "pumpkin guts." When prepping your pumpkin for carving, be sure to scrape and discard as much of the pulp (aka “pumpkin guts”) as possible. The cleaner and drier the pumpkin interior, the slower the rotting process.


Clean with peppermint dish soap. Dilute one tablespoon of peppermint dish soap such as Peppermint Castile Soap in a quart of water. Pour into a clean spray bottle. Lightly spray the inside of your pumpkin. Peppermint is an antifungal and will slow the decomposition process, significantly extending the life of your pumpkin.


Consider refrigerating overnight. If you live in a warm climate, consider placing your carved pumpkins in the fridge at night instead of leaving them on the porch. Spray your pumpkins with the Castile-water mixture and wrap in a trash bag prior to placing in the fridge. This process will rehydrate your pumpkins each night.


Consider soaking overnight. Another way to rehydrate your pumpkins is to fill a large bucket, bin or tub with cold water. Soak pumpkins overnight. Typically, pumpkins set out for less than a week won’t need rehydration, especially if you live in a cool climate. If you notice yours beginning to wilt, however, take them for a dip!


Use a fruit fly trap. Much like any other produce you bring into your home, pumpkins attract fruit flies. Drawn to rotting fruit and vegetables, fruit flies will expedite the process, leaving a damaged pumpkin and an infestation behind. Natural fruit fly solutions, like Aunt Fannie’s FlyPunch! or this DIY mixture, are a poison-free way to prevent fruit flies from settling in to do damage. Your pumpkin lives to see another day, and your home remains free from invaders.

Have you carved your pumpkins yet? Share your pictures with us!

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