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SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | OCTOBER 2023 19 By Clare Mendez, Resident Darn. e grandkids want to carve a pumpkin into a Jack-o- Lantern. I don't ever recall a time when this was fun to do, because I never carved a pumpkin as a kid. As an adult, they are messy, smelly, slimy, and rotten. Period. But, I can't disappoint the grandkids as I swore I would do almost anything for them. is falls along the items that are not so bad that I will turn them down, so off to the market or pumpkin patch we go to make a selection, and then to the store to be sure we have some carving tools. Good ones, not the cheap 3" blade that represents a safety scissors. Only the kids should ever use those. No, for you, get a good scraper, a scoop, and sharp blade of some sort. As for the carving, I learned this from Consumer Reports: Step 1: Cut off the base instead of the top. When you pull out that circular piece, a lot of seeds and pulp will come with it, which cuts down on the time spent removing them. Of course, save the seeds for roasting and form a pile of junk with the fibrous smelly stuff. Step 2: Once you've cleaned out the pulp, thin the rind of the pumpkin where you plan to carve it until the rind is about ¾" thick. If you're using a stencil, tape it to the front to see how large an area of the rind you need to thin. Step 3: Paper stencils won't lay flat on a round pumpkin so you'll have to transfer the image with tracing paper or a series of poked holes in the paper. Step 4: Next, put the pumpkin directly into a large bowl to make the process easier. at way the pumpkin won't roll around as you cut. Step 5: To keep the structural integrity of the pumpkin, carve it from the center of the design and move outward. Once you cut a section, don't remove it right away. Keep pieces in place so they are less likely to break any connecting bits as you continue to carve. Step 6: Lastly, use an LED candle to light it up! To extend the life of your carved fruit, wash it inside and out with vinegar and water at a 1:3 ratio or rub a thin layer of petroleum jelly on the inside of the pumpkin to reduce mold and slow decay. Soaking your pumpkin each night in a cooler of water will help preserve it too. I was wondering what the difference was between a melon and a squash and perhaps you were too. e main difference is their texture and taste. Squash are bitter, silky, or nutty while melons are sweeter. Both fruits have a hard exterior but a so, fleshy interior. ey are similar because they belong to the same family but different genera. And that concludes our lesson for today. Class is dismissed. Images found on Pinterest Pumpkin Carving 101

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