As October winds down, the ever famous holiday of trick-or-treating and scary movies is upon us.  And yet again, it is time to go buy some of those gigantic vegetables that helped Cinderella get to the ball and carve designs that illuminate your front porch with a spooky atmosphere.  It’s pumpkin carving time!  However, if procrastination has struck yet again, and all you want is a simple way to carve a cool design, here is a list of instructions to help with your last minute pumpkin masterpiece.

You will need:

1 (or more) pumpkin(s)

1 large knife (to cut a hole in the top)

1 small knife (or any small object with a fairly sharp point)

1 serrated knife, preferably small (when carving a serrated edge makes a big difference)

1 large metal spoon

Design(s) (the internet is very helpful here)

Tape

Light for the inside (fake candles work well)

What to Do:

1. Using the large knife (and if you have no forearm strength, a strong relative) cut a hole into the top of the pumpkin so you can see the inside. Using geometric shapes to cut the top makes this process easier as circles are difficult to cut and you won’t know which way to put the top back on.
2. Use the large metal spoon to get the “guts” out of the pumpkin. This includes the seeds and all that stringy orange stuff inside (tip: if you want to keep the seeds, you can make some delicious roasted pumpkin seeds).  Make sure whatever utensil you use has a fairly sharp side as you will be scraping the inside of your pumpkin, and it can be pretty tough with a dull edge.
3. Tape your design onto the side of your pumpkin, and with the small knife or other pointy object, poke holes into the pumpkin to create an outline of your design. Make sure your design is able to hold itself up.  If you want to do a circular design with tiny lines, it might not work out because the lines will be too thin to carve out.  I used a black cat for my design as it was fairly simple, and there weren’t any thin lines.
4. Take the serrated knife and carve out your design, using the outline you have poked into the pumpkin in the previous step. The smaller your serrated knife, the more controlled your design will be.
5. Clean up your design if need be and insert your fake candle. Voilà!  You now have an awesome glowing pumpkin to make your house a bit spookier!

Remember to always be careful using sharp objects!  Have a fun and safe Halloween, and happy pumpkin carving!