The Perfect Pumpkin: 4 Tips to Use When You're at the Pumpkin Patch! by Katie Lewis

Searching for the perfect pumpkin? These tips can help!

• Look for pumpkins without mush: Make sure to feel your pumpkins before purchasing them. Sometimes a pumpkin can look great on the outside, but mush will cause your pumpkin to rot faster.

• Make sure your pumpkin is orange: Traditional and healthy pumpkins should be orange all over. Having green on your pumpkin can mean that something is wrong with the pumpkin and it may be difficult to carve. Get a good handle: A pumpkin needs to have a hard stem, and it should have a strong handle for when you are carrying it around.

• Look for frost damage: Make sure your pumpkin has no frost damage because this will lessen its shelf life.

• Look for round or oval pumpkins: These types of pumpkins make carving easier.

Worried about carving your pumpkin? Try painting! Painting offers a safer alternative to carving!