# Fresh jack o' lanterns **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 25, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557 "2001-10-25T15:09:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/1 "2001-10-25T15:09:44Z")
My mother is feeling a bit of the empty nest syndrome lately, so I decided to carve a couple of pumpkins for her last night. Now that I’ve sliced up a couple of pretty good scaregourds, I’m faced with a possible problem. Halloween’s a week away, and I don’t want them to start wrinkling and sagging before next Wednesday. Bea Arthur’s a scary visage and all, but I’d like for these pumpkins to stay fresh and firm for a while. So any suggestions to keep them from going bad before All Hallow’s Eve? Or _will_ they go bad by then? Am I just worrying for nothing? ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/2 "2001-10-25T15:16:35Z")
I’d say they’ll be showing some age by then. Can you put them in the freezer? ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/3 "2001-10-25T15:22:31Z")
I was wondering if refrigeration would be a possible answer. I wasn’t sure about the freezer, though; would that cause a problem with crystallizing the water that’s still in the flesh? I was afraid that once the candles were lit, the ice would thaw and there’d be a puddle of pumpkin sauce in the bottom, and then the thing’d collapse. ---
**Author:** ![Cabbage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f07891/32.png) [@Cabbage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cabbage)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/4 "2001-10-25T15:39:54Z")
No idea if that would be a problem or not. Maybe afterwards you could put it in the microwave and thaw it out. **Warning** : I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about. ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/5 "2001-10-25T15:40:17Z")
A frozen pumpkin will melt into a pool of slime. You’re a bit early with the carving, but shouldn’t have a problem if you keep them in a cool place. ---
**Author:** ![Labdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/439d5e/32.png) [@Labdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labdad)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/6 "2001-10-25T16:13:55Z")
I’ve had pretty good luck with rubbing the areas of the pumpkin that have been cut with petroleum jelly and then wrapping the whole thing up in Saran Wrap. I can get a carved pumpkin to last a week that way before it shrivels. ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/7 "2001-10-25T16:30:39Z")
The most important thing to do is to go back and scrape them out _thoroughly_. The part that wrinkles and rots is the “meat” while the orange, fibrous “skin” will last quite a while. I’m not sure of any way to guarantee survival for six whole days, but the more of the insides that are not there to begin turning to mush, the longer they will last. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Zagna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d2c977/32.png) [@El\_Zagna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Zagna)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2001, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/8 "2001-10-25T17:08:48Z")
Also, keep it out of direct sunlight. ---
**Author:** ![slipster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@slipster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slipster)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 1:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/9 "2001-10-26T01:56:22Z")
From experience, I know this method works: place the carved pumpkin in a shallow pan of water, then put the pan and the pumpkin in the refrigerator (not the freezer). ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 2:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/10 "2001-10-26T02:35:34Z")
Eh, does your mom live in Springfield, too? It got pretty cool in Central Illinois today, so if the cool weather holds this week, I’d say you could keep them in a dark corner of the front porch and not have any problems. Make sure they’re scraped out real good, though. However, the downside of keeping them on the front porch is neighbor kids smashing them. Keep them under the empty recycle bin, is what I do. Don’t freeze them, they’ll turn to mush. ---
**Author:** ![elelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/11 "2001-10-26T03:15:01Z")
FlypZ, I think tom is on the mark. Get/scrape the mooshy stuff out, and put an advance candle in to dry it out further. And definitely \* save\*the seeds and roast 'em salted on a tray in the oven! The best part of punkin-carving ! Happy Halloween, Flyppy! ---
**Author:** ![Flypsyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Flypsyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flypsyde)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/12 "2001-10-26T05:31:07Z")
Man, and here I thought DDG would sick the Google beast on me! (I must say, though, her crusade is taking off-I checked a good 8 or 10 sites on it today after I posted this.) Yep, mom’s in Springpatch too, so I think she’s just going to keep them in the garage until she wants to put 'em out. Hopefully the weather’ll stay cold (I can’t believe I just said that). Thanks for the tips, guys. Oh, and in case it helps someone next year, there are indeed at least two products that purport to extend the life of jack o’ lanterns. But I had to search on Google to find them, so you can too. And Happy All Hallow’s Eve to you too, el, you red-headed siren you! And to everyone else who answered. ---
**Author:** ![Heath\_Doolin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Heath\_Doolin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Heath_Doolin)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/13 "2001-10-26T06:31:23Z")
Resident Pumpkin Master… To save your pumpkin in case of shrveling, soak your pumpkin in water for 1 to 8 hours (use bucket or bathtub). After pulling it out of water, drain it for a half hour then dry throughly. To stop it from molding and to preserve it, rub cut areas with vaseline If it does start molding. There is nothing really you can do. I suggest a small sacrifice to your pumpkin gods, prefereably on the neighbors front porch that starts the leaf blower at 7 AM on the weekend. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [October 26, 2001, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/fresh-jack-o-lanterns/89557/14 "2001-10-26T14:09:41Z")
[_pats leashed Googlebeast fondly, a strange little smile playing around her mouth_] 😃