Before you carve into a pumpkin …
Wonder how long a pumpkin can last?
Steve Reiners, a horticulturist at Cornell University, says it depends on the state of the pumpkin and the weather.
“If the pumpkin was healthy when picked and diseases were controlled in the field, the pumpkin can last 8 to 12 weeks,” he says via email. He adds jack-o-lanterns don’t fare as well: They last five to 10 days.
(Via NPR.org, which offers information on selecting pumpkins and preparing/cooking them.)
Consider using non-carved pumpkins as decorations. However, if you are inclined to carve a pumpkin: Try to find a thick-skinned pumpkin and carve only the outer rind, like “the Picasso of pumpkin carving” sculptor Ray Villafane (pictured above) does. If you don’t cut through to the inside of the pumpkin, you’ll help prolong the freshness of the flesh so you can cook with it.
Want recipes? The Oregonian/Oregon Live links to several here (including a chocolate-pumpkin loaf) and here (cooking with heirloom pumpkins).
(Photo via WSJ.com, which features a video of Villafane at work. Looks like he uses a vegetable peeler, linoleum cutter, and an X-Acto knife to make shallow cuts in his pumpkin’s rind.)
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