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How to Prepare Your Fresh Pumpkins So They Will Last the Fall Season
by
Time With Thea
(IC: blogger)
3 Materials
Easy
Have you had the problem like I used to have where your gorgeous pumpkins that you bought in September did not last till Halloween? They started to rot and become unsightly looking? I figured out a very simple 2-step process using three products. Two of the products you already have in your kitchen and the third product is a bit of a surprise.
Here is a pumpkin I purchased last year. It looked very fresh, very orange and very healthy when I bought it. This pumpkin as well as the other ones I purchased for the front porch stayed that way till the end of October using this treatment plan.
The first step in this 2-step process is to wash your pumpkins. Fill your kitchen sink with hot water, a couple of drops of dish soap and one cup of vinegar. Give each pumpkin a good scrubbing with a scrub brush. Dry each one with a dish towel and allow to thoroughly air dry before you go to the next step.
This step uses a surprising product and it really works. Several years ago my husband and I went on a kayak trip in an area called the Broken Islands located on the west side of Vancouver Island in Canada. We knew that we would be on water for much of the day and that we were going to an area where it rained a lot. So we weather protected all of our kayak and camping gear with Scotch Gard Water Shield. The spray can looked different at that time and the company has since updated the outside label.
I figured if it worked really well to protect everything for our kayak trip it should work very well to protect pumpkins. My theory proved to be correct. It provided a nice clear waxy coating that protected the pumpkin from moisture coming from rain, snow, frost or morning dew to get into the pumpkin. Two coats of Scotch Gard did the trick. These are the three products that will help preserve your pumpkins and keep them looking fresh, orange and healthy!
This is how the prepared pumpkins look on my front porch!
Enjoyed the project?
Suggested materials:
- Dish soap (grocery store)
- Vinegar (grocery store)
- Scotch Gard Water Shield (Walmart or similar type of store)
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Published September 14th, 2016 12:26 PM
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6 of 46 comments
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Katherine on Sep 19, 2016Can you still buy this scotch guard product? I thought it was taken off the market? I have a can that I bought when I thought I heard it was not going to be sold anymore. I should check the website.
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Gerry Davis on Sep 20, 2016Yes, you can still find it in W.M. in the household cleaners. I always have it on hand. It is good for fabric shoes as well as handbags. There's one for Upholstery and one for fabric and I always ge the fabric. I "think" they may have it at Lowes, not sure. I found a brand new can, last week, at a Thrift Shop.
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Time With Thea on Sep 20, 2016Yes Gerry. I bought mine at Walmart and I think Home Depot carries it too. Living in Canada we have a chain store called Canadian Tire that carries it as well.
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RogerJennifer Luther on Nov 05, 2016I also carve pumpkins this way. It helps to rinse the inside and cut edges with bleach--keeps it from molding and you can rerinse or spray if mold starts to appear or if there is a long fall.
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Time With Thea on Nov 07, 2016Thank you for sharing your tips. There were several questions about what to do with craved pumpkins. Your tip to use bleach is very helpful!
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