Polk County
Living
Polk County Itemizer-Observer • October 21, 2015 7A
PUMPKINS TO
JACK-O-LANTERNS
LUKAS EGGEN/Itemizer-Observer
Pumpkins of all sizes were available at Rogue Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Party on Saturday. Families chose and decorated their pumpkins to get in the Halloween spirit.
JOLENE GUZMAN/ Itemizer-Observer
Not a masterpiece, but still festive, reporter Jolene Guzman’s tribute to her favorite
team was a lesson in learning to plan better before putting a pumpkin under the knife.
CARVING PROVES TRICKY
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Amelia and Isaac Williams work on decorating their pumpkins at Rogue Farms’
Pumpkin Patch Party on Saturday morning.
Reporter shares tips learned while carving her lantern
By Jolene Guzman
The Itemizer-Observer
I should be better at
carving pumpkins.
As a big fan of Hal-
loween (and the Oregon
Ducks, obviously), you
would think carving a cre-
ative pumpkin design
should be something I
could do in my sleep.
Well, not so much.
I had ambitious visions,
starting with picking a
green pumpkin to go with
the team theme. From
there, I had hopes of carv-
ing the Duck logo the team
wore on its helmets versus
the Washington Huskies on
Saturday, or the fighting
duck, or a helmet with the
“O” logo.
I soon realized those
would stretch my carving
abilities, so I went with the
outline of a webbed foot
with “DUCKS” in yellow
paint below it.
But even that didn’t
quite go as planned. The
template I found was too
small for my large green
pumpkin and I picked the
wrong sized paint brush (I
don’t often paint, so I had
to buy one). Nor did I real-
ize that painting a design
on a pumpkin is not as
easy as it looks.
I had to improvise, or
more truthfully, my more
artistically talented friend
had to come in like Vernon
Adams Jr. and help rescue
my team tribute from com-
plete disaster (she’s a fan,
too).
So, to help you avoid
those difficulties, I’ve
found a few pumpkin carv-
ing tips. Have fun!
— Think about your de-
sign before selecting your
pumpkin and pick one that
fits with what you have in
mind. (I didn’t do this.)
— Use a template. Un-
less you are good at free-
lancing, transferring your
design beforehand is a
good idea.
— Use the correct tools:
• Ice cream scoop for
cleaning pumpkin innards.
Clean out as much as you
can to avoid rot.
• Cookie cutters can be
used to cut a hole in the
bottom of the pumpkin for
the candle or for carving
designs.
• Push pins for transfer-
ring the template to the
pumpkin.
• Knives — your best bet
is a carving kit. The knives
are safer and designed for
the task.
— To avoid fire hazard,
use a battery operated tea
light or candle to illumi-
nate your pumpkin
lantern. Some even flicker
like a real candle.
— Finally, to prevent
your creation from rotting
away, keep it out of the ele-
ments as much as possible
or use a pumpkin preserv-
er. Bleach works well, for
example.
P.S. Before you ask — I’m
talking to you Beaver fans
because this seems to mat-
ter to you — yes, I’m a UO
graduate. Class of 2006. Go
Ducks!
Source: www.myscience-
project.org/pumpkin.html
and www.funtober.com.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Rogue Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Party provided an opportunity for families to find
pumpkins both large and small on Saturday.
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
LUKAS EGGEN/ Itemizer-Observer
Left to right: Tatum, Tara, Konnor, Ethan, Cody, Rhylynn and Ella show off their Halloween
costumes and outfits at Rogue Farms on Saturday morning.
Chase Arguien, 2, examines a pumpkin during Rogue Farms’ Pumpkin Patch Party
on Saturday. Arguien later worked to decorate his pumpkin.