SOS - SAVE OUR SQUASH - OKAY, SAVE OUR PUMPKINS

Make your Jack O'Lantern last a week longer!

After all your hard work scraping out the seeds and string of a pumpkin and then carving it into a beautiful art from, there is nothing worse than having it rot away in two days! Here's how to preserve and protect it!

Pumpkins rot because

• Organisms (fungi, bacteria, molds, fungi, protozoans, insects) get inside it once you carve it and then the pumpkin starts to break down.
• Oxygen in the air can also easily enter and break down the pumpkin (oxidation).
• Simple dehydration (drying out) will will begin the moment the pumpkin is carved.

All of this will turn your beautifully carved pumpkin into a mess in several days time!

How to stop pumpkin aging:

• Sterilize the pumpkin's carved surfaces (to kill fungi, mold, bacteria, bugs)
• Seal the surfaces to prevent drying and to keep out new "little buggers" and reduce drying

Here are the simple steps:

1. Remove dirt: Wipe the exterior surfaces of the pumpkin clean using a damp cloth.
2. Make a bleach solution of1 tablespoon of bleach (typical brand name "Clorox) per quart of water and put it in a spray bottle.
3. Spray the pumpkin inside and all cut areas of the pumpkin with the solution. This will kill much of the surface bacteria and mold that cause rotting.
4. Let it penetrate and dry for about 20 minutes
5. Next, rub all of the carved or cut surfaces with petroleum jelly. This will keep out new bacteria and molds as well as dramatically reduce the dehydration!
6. Wipe away excess with a paper towel!
7. Now, keep your pumpkin out of direct sunlight and try to keep it as cool as possible (but above freezing!) and you should get at least a week's enjoyment out of it!