How To: Preserve Carved & Un-Carved Pumpkins

Keep your pumpkins looking plump and porch-perfect throughout fall with my proven preservation technique.  Whether you’re hoping to make them last until trick or treaters come around or even until thanksgiving, this trick will surely help prolong the time you can enjoy your pumpkins.

First, make sure you buy your pumpkins from a local patch. Since they’re grown on-site this helps the pumpkins from receiving any damage that they may have received if shipped.

Second, make sure the ones you pick is firm with little to no dents or scratches. If you feel any soft spots, the rotting process will start sooner than later (if it hasn't already).

Use Bleach: Bleach will ward off fungi and bacteria from your pumpkins before mold and rot begins. Dilute one tablespoon of bleach in four cups of water in a large bucket or bathtub then soak the pumpkins in the bleach solution for at least 20 minutes before removing and drying the pumpkins.  

Coat Your Pumpkins: Whether you have floor wax, olive oil, or petroleum jelly coating your pumpkins in a wax like substance will prolong the life of your pumpkins creating a barrier on their exterior.  When the wax cures on the pumpkin, it will act as a barrier to moisture that prevents the growth of mold and keeps your pumpkin hydrated. Even better? The wax will lend your pumpkin an attractive sheen that lasts four weeks or longer.

In the past completing these tricks on my pumpkins prolonged their lives well into the winter season.  Matter of fact, they still were in perfect condition when I finally decided to dispose of them months later.  Please share with me if you give this a try to prolong the lives of your pumpkins, whether they are carved or not! 

 

XOXO Sophia B.
Sweet Maple Living