Every year I do the same thing. I wait too long to buy my Halloween pumpkin. I tell myself (and my kids) that I am waiting till I see the right one. Plus, I don't like storing the pumpkin at home because no matter where I put it, the pumpkin eventually rots. Yuck.
So when should I pick my pumpkin? According to the pumpkin experts on the internet, here's the scoop:
Step 1
In cold weather areas, pumpkin pickers should wait until the first frost has killed the pumpkin vines. BUT harvest before a heavy frost.
Okay, I have already blown it. We have had two snowstorms in September/October in my area. The heavy frost has arrived!
If you are lucky enough to find a pumpkin unaffected by frost, you are ready for step two.
Step 2
Let the pumpkin skin cure or harden by allowing the pumpkin to sit in the sun for about 10 days. (If you have less than 10 days till Halloween, don't sweat it. But pumpkin gurus warn against leaving the pumpkin inside for too long.)
Step 3
Never stack the pumpkin. Stacking causes bruising and rotting.
This is a problem. Because I didn't pick a pumpkin at a pumpkin patch, I have to buy one at the grocery where they always STACK them in huge wooden crates.
Step 4
If you are lucky enough to find a pumpkin that was never stacked or exposed to a hard frost, then I must repeat myself: You are very lucky.
When you bring the lucky pumpkin home, the optimal temperature for storing the pumpkin is 50-60 degrees. This could be a problem for many of us because in October the temp is often below 50. Hint: If you can see your breath when you go out to pick up your newspaper in the morning, then it is probably too cold to keep it outside over night.
Step 5
If you have failed steps 1-4 like me, then don't despair. Jump in your minivan and go to Target or Michaels craft store and buy an artificial jack-o-lantern with lights in it. If you feel even the tiniest pangs of guilt over this, remind yourself that Halloween is all about having the house with the best candy and not pumpkins. (Don't tell my kids I said that.)
