Now that our pumpkin patch is filled with gorgeous gourds, we naturally start thinking about jack o’lanterns. Pumpkin carving, however, is an activity that needs to be approached with caution, especially if you’re planning to include the kids.

Remember, your goal is to carve the pumpkin and not yourself! Prevent a sprint for the first aid kit or the emergency room by following these tips.

1. The Workstation
Set up your carving workstation on a well-lit dry surface. You don’t want those pumpkins to slip and slide! Use a tray or jar to store your tools when not in use. If the kids are going to help, make sure they can easily reach the work surface.

2. Keep the Kids Safe
If children are involved, they should be supervised at all times. Ask the younger kids to help by decorating with glue sticks and glitter, magic markers and other child-friendly materials. Older children could help punch out the design on the pumpkin, and if they’re permitted to use a knife, encourage them to work slowly and monitor them at all times.

3. Knife Selection
If you’re reaching for a chef’s knife, please put it down now! A small knife with a short serrated blade is your best bet for pumpkin carving. The knife that’s included in a pumpkin carving kit you find at the store is a great example of what you should use. That type of knife usually has a serrated blade that’s not as sharp as the kitchen knives you have at home. Sharper isn’t better when it comes to pumpkin carving, and the serrated edge will make your work even easier.

4. Point the Blade Away
Point the blade edge away from you as much as possible while carving out the design. If your hand slips or you loose control of the blade, you’re less likely to get cut.

5. Saw Instead of Slice
Gently saw back and forth through the pumpkin to complete your design. Take your time and avoid the urge to make big slices so that you don’t injure yourself.

6. Let the Force Be With You
Wielding your knife with a gentle force is best. Applying a lot of power to your knife can more easily result in injury if the blade slips our you slice through your pumpkin.

7. Watch Where You Put Your Hands
Be mindful of where you put your free hand while carving. If you use one of your hands to steady the pumpkin, be cautious that you don’t poke or slice all the way through the pumpkin to the other side.

8. Battery Power is Best
Forget about candles. They create a fire hazard and it’s not worth the risk. Battery powered lights are best when it’s time to illuminate your pumpkin. Wrap a short string of lights around a canning jar or small vase and place it inside the pumpkin for maximum illumination.

Pumpkin carving. It’s a Halloween tradition so many of us enjoy doing each year, which is why we love growing pumpkins here at Hensler’s.

For kids and adults alike, this fall activity is practically a requirement. Often fierce and sometimes funny, the annual appearance of the almighty jack o’lantern makes it clear that trick-or-treating, frightening costumes and All Hallows’ Eve aren’t far behind.

But how did the jack o’lantern become such a well known symbol of the season? Who started this wacky tradition anyway?

It’s an interesting story, one that began several hundred years ago in Ireland.

A Little Jack O’Lantern History & Trivia

1. Jack O’Lanterns weren’t always in pumpkin form. Turnips were the preferred vegetable of the Irish who carved and illuminated them to ward off evil spirits on All Hallows’ Eve.
2. Irish folklore tells the story of Stingy Jack, a notorious drunk who convinced the Devil to turn into a sixpence to pay his tab at the pub. In exchange, the Devil tried to claim Stingy Jack’s soul, but was tricked into letting Jack keep his soul. After God denied Jack’s entrance into Heaven, the Devil cursed Jack to walk the earth with nothing but an illuminated carved turnip. The Irish refer to this ghostly figure as Jack of the Lantern, or more simply, Jack O’Lantern.
3. Pumpkins originated in North America and were unfamiliar to the Irish. When people from Ireland first came to America, they brought their carving tradition with them and were delighted to discover that pumpkins were ideal for their craft.
4. Jack O’Lanterns were named after the flickering lights often seen over peat bogs. Spooky!
5. Initially, carved pumpkins were associated with the harvest season in the United States, but sometime circa 1866 the jack o’lantern became a symbol for Halloween.

We are! But before we can head down the parade route, we’ve been asked to decorate the amphitheater in Centennial Park with some eye-catching florals, foliage and decorative items. We’ll post photos later today of our handiwork. Meanwhile, we’re still busy putting the finishing touches on our Fall Fest float. We’re proud to say that we rocked the competition last year (Judges’ and President’s awards), but humble enough to know that this year is a whole new game. We’re stepping it up with a new float theme and decorations that we hope will leave you smiling. We hope to see you along the parade route!

The parade is Monday, September 6th. Lineup begins at 7:30am and the parade begins at 9am.

Interested in more Blueberry Festival activities? Check out the official Blueberry Festival website.

PS- We were asked to decorate the amphitheater again this year. Check out the photos!