Smashing pumpkins for all
The best Halloween displays use hollowed out vegetables, here our fearless reporter risks limb, if not life, to carve out spooky jack-o’-lanterns
PICKING out the perfect pumpkin and deciding how to decorate them is one of Halloween’s most enjoyable traditions – they’re easier than traditional turnips – but can also be a frustrating and possibly even painful experience for some. While some parents will reveal themselves as natural pumpkin carvers, others discover that trying to etch out the jack-o’-lantern’s hole is a frustrating, and sometimes dangerous, task.
And after spending most of a morning this week trying to come to terms with the art, I at least learned the answer to the burning question of ‘what it takes to be an expert pumpkin carver?’ In short, some pretty sharp knife skills and a lot of pumpkins to practise on.
I was never a big arts and crafts fan, so I didn’t really have a clue where to start. Luckily, all the tools I needed to hone my dubious skills were available in abundance at Clissmann Horse Caravans in Rathdrum, Co. Wicklow.
Owner and expert carver Neasa Clissmann was happy to patiently show me some of the tricks of her trade. The first step, she says, is to choose the best pumpkin. I was looking for one that was firm, but not too big and, of course, a nice bright orange colour.
The setting – the pumpkin patch at Clissmann Horse Caravans, located in a field with large red toadstools and Christmas trees in the picturesque Wicklow mountains – is appropriately festive, so even if you aren’t a big fan of pumpkins there’s plenty of beautiful scenery to savour.
The chosen ones are then carried in bright orange or pink wheelbarrows across the farm or by one of the worker donkeys.
Neasa says young visitors are always surprised at how loud the donkeys are. ‘We think they sound more like the orcs from Lord of the Rings,’ she laughs.
With my perfect pumpkin secured, it’s time to get down to the business of carving.. Neasa gives me a simple design but quickly reassures me that even the most basic pumpkins can look incredible when lit up with a candle.
The more confident first-time carvers can dive in freehand but drawing out a decent design makes everything much easier (as I discovered the hard way…).
Our resident expert advises using stick-on stencils and knives specially designed for young children.
At first, my knife doesn’t look like it could be all that effective, but it manages the job surprisingly well while probably saving me losing a finger or two in the process.
‘You can also use just a black marker, if you don’t want to carve it,’ Neasa advises, ‘but if the kids are playing with it, the marker might rub off.’
She also recommends cutting out the bottom of the pumpkin rather than the top and using LED tealights to minimise the risk to small children. A handheld food mixer can help to loosen the inside of the pumpkin and get out all the seeds and innards. Otherwise, just use a sturdy spoon and some elbow grease.
And if you’re planning to use a lit candle, you can make a wonderfully scented jack-o’-lantern by adding cinnamon or other spices.
Some use bleach to keep the cut edges of their lantern fresh, but olive oil or Vaseline does the same job.
Keeping your pumpkins outside will also keep them firm for longer although they don’t do well in the rain.
Employing these tricks can keep the pumpkins fresh for up to a week, giving you and the family plenty of time to enjoy the ghoulish lanterns.
The farm has been in the Clissmann family since 1969, when Neasa’s parents took over a Christmas tree farm and opened the camping site.
They started the Halloween tradition last year after their glamping
business was hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. ‘A farmer had a contract fall through with a supermarket,’ Neasa tells me. ‘He had about 30,000 spare pumpkins, so we asked if we could have some. We didn’t need that many though!’
The same farmer is supplying this year’s pumpkin haul but the family say they’ve been so busy they don’t know how many they’ve actually used.
On their busiest days, more than 800 people come to the pumpkin patch and Halloween trail every day.
‘We won’t know until we sit down after the last weekend and look at all the orders,’ Neasa says.
The farm also sells pumpkin soup to hungry customers as a way to make the most of the ones that aren’t quite pretty enough to be carved.
Pumpkin seeds can be roasted to make an excellent and healthy snack – boil the seeds in salted water before roasting until they are light brown in a hot oven for the best results.
It takes hours for the family – helped by their two-year-old daughter Lena – to put out the pumpkins every weekend ready for people to come and pick them. Neasa says the trail is her favourite part of the farm, because it’s where she gets to show off her creativity.
The trail, which I am expertly guided through by Lena, includes flying witches and a skeleton band. It’s designed to be entertaining, but not too scary, a description which thankfully encapsulates my own pumpkin carving training day.