14 Pumpkins Cleaned Out For Carving.

We cleaned out 14 pumpkins in two hours today. Only one had a small rot spot that we cut out and will make part of a jack-o-lantern design. For the past several years we cut out the bottoms of our pumpkins versus doing top lids. This is so we don't have to worry about rain water accumulating in the bottoms of the jack-o-lanterns and prematurely turning them to mush. Lids also can be problematic as the pumpkins desiccate, plus you get more upper carving real estate by not doing top lids. We also find that candles burn better in pumpkins with the bottoms cut out. The candle sits a tad lower inside the pumpkin with the candle being on the ground and we often don't have to worry about making a chimney vent hole in the top of the jack-o-lantern in back. We did make the switch this year to 4 oz jar candles after experimenting with them in a few of our jack-o-lanterns last year versus using votive candles in glass votive holders. The 4 oz jar candles are more stable for placing on the ground under the pumpkins versus using small dishes or silicone coasters for the votive candle holders under the pumpkins. And please remember, never leave a burning jack-o-lantern unattended. For safety we always have a several jugs of water and a fire extinguisher nearby!