Pumpkin Carving

by Robin Fiedler

For the first time, my family used a pumpkin stencil to carve our Halloween jack-o-lantern. It looks awesome! The downside is that many websites want to charge money for pumpkin stencils, carving templates, carving stencils, pumpkin patterns, or whatever they are called at costs of $4 to $15. Boo on them. carved-pumpkin

Do not pay. Instead, search using the word 'free,' such as "free pumpkin stencils" or "free pumpkin templates." Another important part of the search is to make sure the carving stencil is 'printable.' A search can also include the type of template because not only are there scary pumpkin stencils, there are Obama pumpkin templates and Sarah Palin pumpkin pattern.

Whatever you can imagine for carving pumpkins, you will find a carving stencil for on the Net. There are even Thanksgiving pumpkin stencil patterns, so you can have an awesome pumpkin decoration for Turkey Day as well. Once you've decided which one fits your heart's desire, print it out, tape the stencil to the pumpkin and start carving.

Now, here's a caveat--because printing a free carving stencil means you probably didn't buy a pumpkin-carving kit, so you plan on using the handiest kitchen knife. "Every Halloween season we see four or five patients-both adults and children-who come into our office with severe injuries to their hands and fingers," says Jeffrey Wint, MD, an ASSH member from The Hand Center of Western Massachusetts, Springfield, MA. "Treatment can often run three to four months from the time of surgery through rehabilitation," as quoted on the American Society for Surgery of the Hand website.

The Society recommends using a pumpkin-carving kit because "Sharper is not better." Sharper knifes make the deepest, most traumatic wound. Such irony! Wint says, the kit includes "small serrated pumpkin saws," which "If they do get jammed and then wedged free, they are not sharp enough to cause a deep, penetrating cut." Who would've thought?

Don't forget to clean off those pumpkin seeds and roast them in the oven. Pumpkin seed recipes don't vary much; just spread them out on a cookie sheet, sprinkle with salt, and bake at 350°F until lightly brown. Then eat. According to Nutrition Data, pumpkin seeds are "a good source of Protein, Magnesium and Zinc." I just think they are a tasty snack while the family stares at the just-completed masterpiece Jack-o-Lantern.

Guiness World Records Pumpkin Trivia:

Pumpkin Carving - "The fastest time to carve a face into a pumpkin is 24.03 seconds, by Stephen Clarke (USA), who broke his previous record on July 23, 2006 at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida, USA..."

Largest Jack O'Lantern - "The world's largest jack o'lantern was carved by Scott Cully (USA) from the world's largest pumpkin on October 31, 2005 in Northern Cambria, Pennsylvania, USA. The pumpkin was grown by Larry Checkon (USA) and weighed 666.32 kg (1,469 lb) at the Pennsylvania Giant Pumpkin Growers Association Weigh-off, on October 1, 2005."

Resources

"Hand Surgeons Warn of Pumpkin Carving Dangers." The American Society for Surgery of the Hand. 2009. http://www.assh.org/Public/Safety/Pages/PumpkinCarvingSafety.aspx

"Largest Jack O'Lantern." Guinness World Records. 2009. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/natural_world/plant_world/largest_jack_o_lantern.aspx

"Pumpkin Carving - Fastest Time." Guinness World Records. 2009. http://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/records/amazing_feats/unusual_skills/pumpkin_carving_-_fastest_time.aspx

"Seeds, pumpkin and squash seeds, whole, roasted, without salt." Nutrition Data. 2009. http://www.nutritiondata.com/facts/nut-and-seed-products/3141/2