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| GIF from 2024 Halloween 🎃 by WriterJoshua on YouTube |
It's October
Spooky Season is upon us and, while I like to think of myself as removed from the trendiness, I can't help but be caught up in the pumpkin fever that the Fall brings. One of those trends is prevalent across streaming platforms in the form of Halloween inspired collections. While browsing HBO's Max, I came across a Food Network competition known as, Outrageous Pumpkins. After binging a few seasons, I became inspired. I feel a bit overwhelmed, as some of the carvers are of a full on set construction and special effects design caliber. However, my only experience with Jack-O-Lanterns was a simple triangle eyes, square teeth, cut out kind. I had seen more intricate details created by shaving the pumpkin, instead of cutting all the way through but, this was the first time I would consider trying it myself.
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| Still from Outrageous Pumpkins on Food Network |
Stream Outrageous Pumpkins on MAX
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| My two pumpkins next my laptop with a screenshot of Outrageous Pumpkins on FoodNetwork for inspiration |
AgEcoResearch Pumpkins
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| Pumpkin in a raised garden bed surround by cover crops |
So, I just tossed it in the corner, not worried about whether it would grow or not, just happy to make it part of the ecosystem. I wasn't all that surprised when I found pumpkin vine growing the next Spring. I harvested a pumpkin or two the next season and repeated the process, tossing that Jack back into the box. You guessed it. That one grew back the next season and, this year, I harvested two more pumpkins! This year, I've saved the pumpkin seeds and plan on planting them in a more intentional way but, in the mean time. I have two Jack-O-Lanterns to experiment on! (Muahahahah because, you know 🎃)
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| Pumpkin leaves surrounded by cover crop |
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| Two pumpkins marked with crayon before becoming Jack-O-Lanterns |
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| Two pumpkins shaved and carved into Jack-O-Lanterns |
I spent about two hours with a cheap carving kit, a potato peeler, and a small kitchen knife. They weren't the best tools, as I found myself missing a clay carving tool, like the ones I saw in Outrageous Pumpkins, to shape in finer detail. I also have a vertical peeler, as opposed to the horizontal oriented ones they use, that made it a bit harder to control the angle. Otherwise, I enjoyed myself and think that these are a great first attempt and creative pumpkin carving. If everything goes well, I have some more to play with in 2025!
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| WriterJoshua carving into a pumpkin with a pairing knife |
So, I set up my laptop and my iPhone to capture some footage of the process. You might find it pretty boring. I didn't do any talking. I wore headphones so, there's no music but, I hear that there are folks who just like the background noise and kitchen sounds. I also found some cheap LED lights with remotes to give them a spooky vibe in the dark. You can hear the carving and scraping of the pumpkin so, I posted the 2 Hour Ambient Pumpkin Carve on YouTube.
For those of you with less patience, I'm working on cutting that video down to a shorter version with music, and maybe some voice over. Link coming soon.
For those of you with even less patience, how are you still reading this? I'm impressed! I posted a short video of the results on social media, linked below.
If I don't see you before then, have a safe and Happy Halloween 👻
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Sincerely yours,
Joshua Lucero
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WriterJoshua Around the Web
