Why We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween: The Tale of Stingy Jack

We are all familiar with seeing pumpkins carved with scary faces for Halloween, but have you ever wondered where the tradition for carved pumpkins at Halloween came from? Well, we’ve done some research for you and found out all about the tales surrounding Halloween pumpkins and they all seem to originate from an Irish folklore about a mythical character, Stingy Jack.

The Irish Tale of Stingy Jack

Stingy Jack was a notorious, devious drunk who Satan heard stories of and wanted his soul. But when he went to collect him Stingy Jack convinced Satan to let him have a final drink and pay for it by turning himself into a coin. However, once Satan changed to a coin, devious Jack put him in his pocket where there was also a crucifix so he was trapped until he agreed to leave Jack alone for the next ten years, which he agreed to and was released.

When Satan returned ten years later Stingy Jack was able to trick him again by asking for a final snack before he was taken to Hell. Satan agreed again and climbed a tree to reach an apple for Jack. However, as Satan climbed devious Jack carved a cross into the trunk of the apple tree, trapping Satan again. This time Satan agreed to never take Jack’s soul to hell and he was released.

When Stringy Jack died years later St Peter refused to let him in heaven due to his evil deeds and Satan wouldn’t let him into Hell due to their agreement. This left Stingy Jack roaming the earth, using Satan’s gift of an ember ablaze with hellfire, which Jack carried around in a carved turnip to light his way. Stingy Jack soon became known as Jack of the Lantern and on Halloween night when you see a Jack O’Lantern it could be the glow from Jack’s hellfire lantern.

So this Irish folklore describes a carved turnip, so when did this change to be a pumpkin?

When The Turnip Turned To a Pumpkin

Can you imagine how difficult it was to carve a turnip to carry a candle? A dense, solid root vegetable, cutting into a turnip to hollow it out is much more difficult than hollowing out the softer flesh of a pumpkin. So it’s no wonder that when Irish immigrants arrived in America in the 19th century, they soon changed from carving their traditional turnips to the native pumpkin. Not only easier to carve, they were also larger and cheaper than turnips in America so pumpkins soon became the standard when it came to making Jack O’Lanterns.

When Should You Harvest Your Pumpkin For Carving?

If you have been growing pumpkins at your allotment and want to use one or more to decorate your house for Halloween then the perfect time to harvest them is between 26th and the 30th October. This gives you sufficient time to carve them whilst they are sturdy and will mean they haven’t started rotting before Halloween night.

When choosing a pumpkin for harvesting look for one which has a flat base so it will sit easily and to make carving easier pick one which has a smooth surface. Healthy pumpkins will be firm to the touch and be a solid colour from top to bottom. Avoid picking a pumpkin if you can piece the skin with your fingernail - that indicates it’s past its best and won't last long. Also don’t select a pumpkin that has dull or discoloured areas or patches of green.

Once you have selected the best pumpkin for carving, then you need to cut through the thick stem which joins the pumpkin to the plant. Healthy, mature pumpkins will have a hard and sturdy stem so you will need a knife which has a serrated edge so you can easily saw through the fibrous stem.

Our Hori Hori knife is perfectly suited to the task as one side of the blade is serrated, whilst its strong stainless steel blade can handle the tough stalk that might damage a weaker blade.

How Do You Carve Your Pumpkin?

When carving your pumpkin you will need a few tools close to hand, including a sharp serrated knife - such as your Hori Hori knife - for cutting out the top or base from where you can then remove the insides as well as having a place to add the candle.

You will also need a ‘scoop’ of some type to remove the insides from the pumpkin. Using a large ice cream scoop works well, as does a large metal spoon or even a small metal trowel. You need something strong enough to cut through the flesh inside the pumpkin but also shaped enough to lift the contents out.

Once your pumpkin has had its insides scooped out, then you can carve a face or other designs into the shell of the pumpkin. The best knife to use to do this is a kitchen knife - either a paring knife or a steak knife. You need something strong enough to cut through the flesh but narrow and small enough to cut small pieces away and detailed designs into the skin of the pumpkin.

After your pumpkin has been carved you just need a candle to light up the design when placed inside the pumpkin. Using a tea light is the safest and most economical option and can be replaced night after night for however long you are decorating your home for Halloween.

Can You Save Pumpkin Seeds?

When you are carving your pumpkin for halloween then make the most of the leftover parts and save the seeds to either grow new pumpkins next year or roast then eat or if you rescue enough do both!

As you scrape out the seedy pulp from the centre of your pumpkin, put it to one side in a large bowl of water - the aim being to separate the pulp from the seeds ready to use them. With the bowl full of pulp and seeds, swirl the water to help loosen the seeds from the pulp, scooping out the seeds into a colander with as little pulp as possible.

Rinse the remaining pulp off the seeds by holding the colander under a running tap for about 30 seconds, using your fingers to loosen the remaining strings of pulp. Spread the seeds over some sheets of kitchen roll, discarding any damaged seeds when you are saving the seeds to grow next year as cracked or broken seeds will not grow. Leave the spread out seeds for a few days until they are dry - the seeds need to be completely dry if they are to store correctly and you can plant them next April.

If you are saving the pumpkin seeds to roast them, then after the seeds have been drying for a day on paper towels you can add them to a sealable bag when you can add melted butter or oil plus seasonings and shake to mix and cover the seeds evenly. Spread the seasoned seeds over oven trays covered in baking paper ready to bake in a preheated 250 degree Fahrenheit oven for about 20 to 30 minutes until they are turning golden brown and crunchy. Remove from the oven and allow to cool and then you can snack away!

What Do You Do With Your Pumpkin After Halloween?

Your carved Halloween pumpkin should last for about five days before it will be past its best and be ready to be recycled. But the question is, what's the best way to dispose of your carved pumpkin?

Your used pumpkin can make a valuable addition to your compost heap, being a great source of nitrogen which will speed up decomposition. Before adding to your compost make sure you have removed any remaining candle or candle wax and any other decorations and cut the pumpkin into smaller pieces so that it can break down faster. Pumpkin is classed as a ‘green’ when added to your heap, so make sure you add an equal amount of ‘brown’ such as shredded newspaper, dry leaves or straw, ideally covering up the pumpkin to prevent it from attracting pests.

If you haven’t got a compost heap, then you could try ‘trench composting’ to release the valuable nutrients in the pumpkin into your soil. To do this you need to chop the pumpkin into smaller pieces and bury about 30cm deep into the ground. After burying the pumpkin pieces in November it will break down in the soil over the winter months, adding nutrients and organic matter, enriching the soil ready for a busy Spring.

If your pumpkin is still fresh after Halloween you could use it to feed wildlife in your garden as long as you cut it up into chunks and place these onto a wall or hanging feeder. Placed into feeders off the ground then birds and squirrels will be able to feed on it. However, don’t ground feed as it can be harmful to hedgehogs causing stomach upsets and dehydration. It can also attract mice or rats as it starts to rot so don’t leave it out for too long as you don’t want to attract these unwanted visitors.

We hope that this post in our journal has given you some useful insights and information on pumpkins and Halloween, but please remember we are only human so although we aim to be as informative and accurate as possible, if you spot a mistake, please accept our apology for our human error!

We’d also love to hear your thoughts on this topic. If you have any details you would like to add or information you would like to share please let us know.