[momto6]

We had a frost here a couple days ago and all my pumpkin vines died. What can I do to keep the pumpkins “fresh” till Halloween. I would like to carve them, and use the seeds and pulp for recipes. It just seems too early to save them for that. Any suggestions?

[Mrs. Don-o]

As far as I know, you don't have to do anything to keep pumpkins "fresh," they'll keep for months without any fuss. Here are the rules:

• Keep the stems on them, that is, when you harvest them, do not remove the "handle" on the top.
• Do not smack, crack, bruise, cut, or dent them
• Do not freeze them.

Otherwise, they'll keep well anywhere in your house.

[JustaDumbBlonde]

On your pumpkins: Keep as long a stem on them as you possibly can. You can trim it at carving time. If you have a place that is 55-60 degrees, like a cellar, keep them there. If not, get as close as you can.

A couple of years ago I grew 4 acres of pumpkins ... what a nightmare, there were thousands of them!! Somebody that was buying a few told me about washing the outside of the pumpkin with a bleach solution to keep them for a long time, but I never looked into it further.