Pumpkin Carving 101

It’s that time of year again, folks! That’s right, it’s spooky season.

Put your carving gloves on and grab a pumpkin. It’s time for Halloween, and you can’t have Halloween without a jack-o-lantern.

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What you need:

• Pumpkin

• Carving knife

• Large bowl

• Sharpie

• Large spoon or ladle

• Candle

Steps:

• Grab your sharpie and draw a face of your choosing on your pumpkin. Eyes, ears, nose, you name it — think outside the box!

• Draw your lid. Draw a circle a few inches in diameter around the stem of the pumpkin.

• Grab your carving knife and cut out the lid.

• Using the large spoon, scoop out the guts of the pumpkin, put them in a bowl, and set aside.

• Grab the carving knife again, and cut out the face you’ve designed.

• Clean up! Use your spoon to scrape any remaining pieces inside the pumpkin.

• Set your candle at the bottom of the pumpkin, grab a match, and voila! You’ve got a jack-o-lantern.

You’re not done yet!

• Preheat your oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit.

• Remember the pumpkin guts from earlier? If you’re a fan of pumpkin seeds, sort through and separate the seeds. You can throw away all the leftover guts.

• Toss the seeds in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper, and garlic powder.

• Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and evenly spread the seeds over it.

• Place in the oven and bake for 40-45 minutes.

• Wait until cool and snack away!

The beauty of pumpkin seeds is that you can add just about any seasoning, and they’ll be delicious. We recommend salt, pepper, olive oil, and garlic powder as a base, but the flavoring is up to you. You can try adding a packet of powdered ranch dressing or even Cajun seasoning for bold flavors.

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Next time you’re feeling festive, follow these steps for the perfect pumpkin. And if that pumpkin spice latte isn’t satisfying your fall taste buds, be sure to try the baked pumpkin seeds. Let us know how it goes in the comments, and, as always,

Be well, Auburn.