Preserving your carved pumpkin.

Choose a pumpkin with a thick strong stem and one with no puncture marks on it.

Broken skin will speed up the decay process

Make sure you clean your pumpkin thoroughly before carving.

Carve your pumpkin keeping the middle to make pumpkin pie or pumpkin soup.

Once you have craved your pumpkin rinse it out with water to get rid of excess strings and gunk.

Take a large bucket or tub and fill with water.  Stir in three teaspoons of bleach into the water or use a 50/50 mix of water and lemon juice,  This kill microorganisms that speed up pumpkin decay.  Let the pumpkin absorb the water for about 2 hours.

Rub the raw edges of your carved pumpkin with a thin layer of petroleum jelly and then let the pumpkin air dry.

If your pumpkin starts to become dehydrated and shrivelled looking soak it in cold water again and repeat the application.

Alternatively you can also use WD-40 to help slow down the decaying process.  For carved pumpkins spray inside and outside making sure every part is saturated.

(Please keep in mind that WD-40 is extremely flammable so DO NOT put near a naked flame or a candle inside your pumpkin.)

Keep your pumpkin in a cold place, keeping it covered in a refrigerator will help keep it fresh until you wish to display it.

We have a had our first delivery of pumpkins and you can now come pick one from out pumpkin patch