Prepping Pretty Pumpkins is a Pretty Messy Business

You take a pumpkin locally grown at a local farm stand, not some cheapo kind from Pennsylvania or Kentucky sold at a supermarket. Cut a lid off on top, "at an angle" says PP so the lid doesn't fall down into the pumpkin later.

Start scooping out all the interior seeds and placentas (yep, that is the name for the stringy, slimy parts that the seeds are attached too). Any tool is allowed, but fingers work best. Save seeds and wash them in a colander or sieve.

More digging in the pumpkin interior.

Look, an empty shell. Now, draw the design on the front, and start to cut it out with smart tools made by PP from old small saw blades that happened to lay around in the basement when we moved into the house. Some electric tape on the saw blade works fine as improvised handles so we don't saw into our fingers.

"It is hard work", as W says. Here is my jail pumpkin in progress.
Too bad it is too small for W. Put tea candles inside, put on front steps, and there they are.
Welcome all ghosts and goblins!

The seeds you mix with olive oil and Northwoods seasoning (of course),
and roast for 20 min in the oven, and then snack on. Yummy!