It's nearly Halloween!

As it is nearly Halloween I just wanted to tell you about this great site that I found called http://www.pumpkinmasters.com/. It is full of tips, ideas on how to carve pumpkins, recipes, fun stuff, halloween facts and history etc.

This is a great tip to preserve your pumpkin if you carve it 2-3 days before Halloween:   

1. Prevent your pumpkin from drying out by placing petroleum jelly on the cut edges of your carving.
2. Spray your pumpkin with water, cover it with plastic wrap then store it in the refrigerator when it's not on display. This helps prevent premature decomposition.
3. Soak or spray the pumpkin with water mixed with a little bit of bleach. This will help ward off mold and kill insects for a longer preservation.

If your pumpkin is showing signs of shriveling, soak it in water for several hours. The more shriveled the pumpkin, the longer it needs to soak. When the pumpkin is removed from the water, dry the inside with a towel as much as possible to impede mold growth. Dried-out pumpkins and melons can be revived almost completely with this technique.

I really love this tip:-


Create the smell of Halloween spice. Just sprinkle a little cinnamon, nutmeg, and pumpkin spice on the bottom of the pumpkin lid. Once the pumpkin is lit, it will create a wonderful seasonal scent.

I was also searching the web and found some great vintage halloween pictures at www.graphicshunt.com/:

So whatever you are doing for Halloween have a great time and don't forget to use the pumpkin flesh that you scrape out for a delicious recipe such as pumpkin soup or these delicious pumpkin cupcakes. Absolutely delicious with the cinnamon cream cheese topping. The only mistake I made was halving the recipe and only baking 12 instead of 24. They really are soooo good!