Learn about The History of the Jack O Lantern

It just wouldn't feel like fall to me without making a Jack-o-lantern out of a hefty pumpkin like this. It's always a lot of fun to come up with new and creative expressions for their faces. I've carved just about every kind - happy, sad, surprised and scary. I've even painted some and made a family stacking one on top of the other. This Irish or Celtic tradition of making Jack-o-lanterns actually didn't start with pumpkins at all. You see it wasn't until Irish immigrants came to this country that pumpkins were used. Long before that, large turnips were used for making Jack-o- lanterns. Frankly, it's hard for me to imagine old Jack walking over the world Halloween night with a light in a turnip. And you can bet carving a turnip would be much more of a challenge than a pumpkin. And you would actually miss out on the opportunity to stick your hands in there and pull out all of the slimy goo and seeds. Now one of the things that I have found that helps a lot in removing this is a simple jar lid for scraping the insides. Just look at all of these big beautiful seeds. You might save a few for planting next spring, or you can toast them in the oven for a delicious treat. So go get a pumpkin and enjoy this season. Have a safe and happy Halloween. From the garden, I'm Allen Smith. P. Allen Smith Gardens® Copyright 1998 - Hortus, Ltd.