October. The air starts to get chilly and crisp, and random rain storms come blowing through. Hearty meals from the crock pot and warm tasty drinks. Family and friends start gathering together for movies and football, and of course, pumpkin carving. Yup, its the beginning of fall!

This year my mom decided to plant her very own pumpkin patch for the neighborhood kids to pick their very own for Halloween carving. I’m still one of those kids at heart and look forward to this past time every year. Mom let me pick one of her prized pumpkins to carve on my own!!

Now the surgery begins. Grab your favorite serrated edge knife and cut out the top of the pumpkin, with a triangle at the back so you can easily fit the too back on.

Tear off the top and dig in!! (remove all jewelry you don’t want to get slimed) Using your hands scrape out as much of the innards as you can separating the seeds from the pulp. We’ll save the seeds to roast later.

Here’s the line up of tools. You can get one of these pumpkin carving sets at your local craft store or Target. From left to right we have the scraper, perfect for getting the inside of your specimen nice and smooth. Next we have the scorer. This is used to transfer your paper pattern onto the pumpkin. Thirdly we have the poker (for lack of a better term) I use this guy to poke into the flesh of the pumpkin to begin my carving, this way you don’t bend your knife. And that’s who’s next, the carving blade. A slim knife with a serrated edge makes cutting out small areas very easy.

Ok now we have a clean and gutted pumpkin which is a blank slate for your creativity. You can take any route you want here. Choose the traditional spooky face or a pretty fall inspired design. Since I was leaving my pumpkin with my parents I chose to carve out a pine cone. It coordinates nicely with their decor and is reminiscent of all the pine cones around their house. I free handed my design with a pencil while looking at a picture.

The design I chose called for some parts to be completely cut away and other areas to be “etched” by peeling away the top layer and skin without going all the way through. I used the carving knife to cut all the way through where I needed too and an exacto knife (not pictured) to etch away the top layer.

And you’re done!! I love etching designs because it gives your pattern so much depth and different defused lights. Isn’t it pretty! Can I just carve pumpkins all year long and not just in one month?!

Ok now what to do with all those seeds? Rinse in a pasta caldron and pat dry on a tea towel.

Drizzle with a little olive oil and salt and coat evenly. Here’s where you could add different flavors too. You could candy the seeds by adding a little sugar and cinnamon or go savory with paprika, flavored salt or a little chilly powder! Yum. I usually go the simple route.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet with parchment paper (easy clean up) and toast in a 375 degree oven for about 35 minutes checking after 20. Cooking time will differ with every oven.

Mmmmmm… So toasty! Let cool and serve in a cute little bowl with your favorite fall beverage and watch the candle flicker in your pretty carved pumpkin.