Carving Tips for Pineapple & Watermelon Pumpkins

Here in Texas, fall is approaching with 90 degree temperatures! And while I LOVE carving a big ol’ pumpkin – I thought it might be fun to mark the autumn with a more tropical expression of Halloween. And so – I began to eye the pineapple and watermelon we already had in the house.

What cute faces could come from pineapple & watermelon carving? I was going to see!

Some Tropical Fruit Pumpkin Carving Tips:

• Once you cut off the head of the pineapple, use a sharp knife to cut a circle as close to the skin as you can. Then slice crosswise and start lifting out chunks of pineapple (reserve to eat later!).
• Use a spoon to scoop out flesh your knife cant get to.
• Watermelons are easier to carve than pineapple – and you can scrape right down to the white flesh of the fruit. The less sugary flesh you leave inside the “pumpkin” the better it will age.
• Tropical pumpkins are best used for temporary displays as they age must faster than a traditional pumpkin. Carve them as close to the occasion you want to display them at, as possible.
• To help them last longer – dip them in a bleach & water mixture before display, and place them in a cool area!

I just LOVE the way these tropical pumpkins came out – they were the perfect welcome to the warm weather Halloween party I was having!

And don’t fret if your Halloween climate is cold – tropical fruit pumpkins do even BETTER in cold climates. The cold keeps them from rotting as fast as they do in the warm breezes of the South!

These fun fellows lasted about 4 days, and then they started to soften up too much. But they were surprisingly resilient for the Texas heat! I will definitely be carving tropical fruit pumpkins next fall!

Have a Happy Halloween!