Everybody can be a jack-o'-lantern sculptor
• Jack-o'-lanterns have a devilish Irish history
By Zenaida Serrano Espanol
Advertiser Staff Writer
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| Del Gossert, manager of the Ben Franklin Crafts store in Mapunapuna, turns his creativity loose on a realistic-looking Pumpkin Imposter.
Gregory Yamamoto • The Honolulu Advertiser |
This time of year, it's all about carving pumpkins, bringing families together for quality craft time.
Here's advice for carvers — be you novice or expert — for creating a jack-o'-lantern that's sure to perk up any porch.
Use the proper tools. A blade that cuts precisely when it comes to corners is key.
Using a knife with a serrated edge "is much easier to use than a regular carving knife," said Del Gossert, manager of the Ben Franklin Crafts store in Mapunapuna.
Ben Franklin carries Pumpkin Party Tools for Ghouls — a kit with a carving saw, a scooper and a marker stick — for $1.99.
Supervise children younger than 8, Gossert said.
Party City in Waikele sells kid-friendly carving kits, including Pumpkin Masters Kid's Carving & Activity Kit for ages 6 and up, and Pumpkin Masters Kid's Roll-n-Paint (which requires no carving or scooping) for ages 5 and up. Both kits cost $6.99.
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| Bridget Tanner, 10, at right, helps sister Alexis, 7, carve a face onto a diminutive pumpkin they grew in their Prescott Valley, Ariz., garden.
Associated Press Looking for inspiration? Check out the pumpkin-carving exhibit by University of Hawai'i-Manoa architecture students: 5 to 7 p.m. today School of Architecture courtyard Free |
Or for an inexpensive alternative, create a stencil of your own. "It's kind of fun doing a person's face," Gossert said. He suggests photocopying a photograph of a family member, then taping it onto the pumpkin as a stencil.
Be patient and carve slowly, said Louise Naone, a student at Gros Bonnet Culinary Academy. The academy presented its annual Halloween pumpkin carving exhibit last weekend.
Naone, who created a jack-o'-lantern for the exhibit, said the top of the pumpkin should be cut at an angle so it doesn't fall inside. And cut a triangular notch on the lid, so that closing it won't be a problem.
When scooping out the pumpkin flesh and seeds, Naone suggests leaving some flesh behind to help hold intricate designs together. Otherwise, detailed work may collapse, she said.
To illuminate a jack-o'-lantern, the Honolulu Fire Department recommends use of a small flashlight instead of a candle. A glow stick may work as well.
Be creative and try something other than the traditional smiley-faced pumpkin.
"Some people, what they do instead of cutting all the way through now, they'll scrape the skin off and just leave part of the meat so that it has a different effect," Gossert said.
That would give the pumpkin a 3-D look, with bright and dull colors when illuminated, he said. Wood- carving tools work best for this, Gossert said.
Naone suggests carving a squash instead of a pumpkin. The long part of the squash could serve as a nose, adding a lot of whimsy and character to the faces.
Want a jack-o'-lantern that will last forever? Try a fake, carveable pumpkin that "won't rot away in two days," said Steven Young, manager at Party City.
Such pumpkins can be carved just like real ones, but should be kept away from flames or fire, Young said.
The product is new to many stores this year. Try Ben Franklin's nine-inch Pumpkin Imposter for $14.99, or Party City's Fall Harvest nine-inch Perfect Pumpkins for $9.99, or $14.99 for the 13-inch version.
Reach Zenaida Serrano Espanol at zespanol@honoluluadvertiser.com or 535-8174.
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Jack-o'-lanterns have a devilish Irish history
According to an Irish legend that goes back hundreds of years, Stingy Jack was an old drunk who played tricks on everyone, including the Devil.
One day he tricked the Devil into climbing a tree. Jack placed crosses around the trunk and the Devil was unable to get down. Before removing the crosses, Jack made the Devil promise him not to take his soul when he died.
When Jack died years later, he went to the gates of Heaven, where he was not welcome because he had been mean to everyone. He went to Hell and the Devil, who kept his promise and did not allow Jack to enter.
Stingy Jack asked the Devil how he could leave, as there was not light. The Devil tossed him an ember from the flames of Hell, and Jack placed it in a hollowed out turnip. From that day on, Stingy Jack roamed the Earth without a resting place, lighting his way as he went with his jack-o'-lantern.
On All Hallows Eve, the Irish would hollow out turnips, potatoes or beets, carve or paint faces on them and place lighted candles in them. They did this to ward off evil spirits and to keep Stingy Jack away. These were the original jack-o'-lanterns.
When Irish immigrants came to America in the 19th century, they discovered that Yankee pumpkins were bigger and easier to carve out, so they used pumpkins instead.
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