“Double, double toil and trouble;
Fire burn and caldron bubble[1].”
Tonight is the night—all Hallows’ Eve—an evening filled with tricks, treats, ghouls, and pumpkins galore. Halloween is notorious for costumes, candy corn, and all things chocolate, but nothing captures the holiday’s true eerie essence quite like the iconic Jack O’Lantern pumpkin.
Despite its now rampant popularity, notably the original Jack O’Lantern wasn’t even a pumpkin. Rather, the tradition originated when the Irish began to hollow out various veggies including turnips, rutabagas, beets, and potatoes. As odd as this ritual may seem, it was born from local legend. Indeed, the Jack O’Lantern story dates back hundreds of years and centers around one character in particular: “Stingy Jack[2].”
According to cultural lore, Stingy Jack was a crabby old curmudgeon who delighted in playing pranks on his friends, family, townspeople, and even the devil himself. One day Stingy Jack tricked the devil into climbing a tree[3] and wouldn’t let him down until he promised not to take Jack’s soul when he passed into the next life. For whatever reason the devil agreed to this arrangement, and, as a result, Jack let him free[4].
Years later Jack (inevitably) died and was not permitted into heaven because he had led a disappointingly miserable life on earth. Looking for somewhere to reside in the afterlife, good ole Jack journeyed south to hell to see if the devil would rescind his original promise[5]. Staying true to his word, the devil did not rescind his promise[6], which left Jacky boy in quite a pickle: Heaven wouldn’t accept him, and neither would hell. Ultimately, this left him with no option but to eternally wander the dark, ghoulish netherworld for all of eternity,
Wondering how he would navigate through this dark, dammed abyss, Jack asked the devil for advice. As a response, the devil bestowed Jack with fiery embers from the bowels of hell so he could navigate the shadowy, soulless terrain[7].
Luckily, Jack had a turnip in his pocket[8], and he decided to carve out the vegetable’s inside so he could insert the ember and create a makeshift lamp. From that day forward, the afterlife outcast restlessly roamed purgatory, lighting his destination-less journey with his trusty ember-turnip contraption.
Pretty spooky[9], right?
This turnip tradition eventually gave itself over to pumpkins, for once the Irish immigrated to America in the 1800s, they discovered the fruit was a more resilient vessel for upholding this spooky ritual. And hence, our iconic American tradition was born.
To ready ourselves to partake in the festivities, Cam and I visited the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular at the Minnesota Zoo. In only its second year, the event starts on October 1st and runs through November 3rd, featuring 5,000 pumpkins all lit with LED lights. The Spectacular serves as a significant fundraiser for the Minnesota Zoo, and proceeds directly support animal care, environmental education, and conservation efforts, making it easy for visitors to give back and partake in seasonal festivities all at the same time.
But who carves these 5,000 pumpkins[10]? Passion for Pumpkins Inc., a multi-media company based in Oxford, Massachusetts designs the entire Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular and carves each and every pumpkin featured on the trail[11]. Big Macs and Prize Winners are typically the artistic mediums of choice and can weigh anywhere from 100-250 pounds apiece. However, carvers also use Atlantic Giant pumpkins from Minnesota and Wisconsin, and these bad boys can weigh in up to 2,000 pounds!
Each day the pumpkin team walks the trail checking for signs of rot and mold. One can never be too careful when using a vegetable as an artistic backdrop, and artists create duplicates of each intricate pumpkin, replacing the gourds when they have met their haunted demise. If you thought 5,000 pumpkins sounded spooky, then you’re in for a real scare: In order to keep the gourds fresh and pristine during the event’s 33-day run carvers ultimately crank out 20,000 total pumpkins. In this way, the Spectacular functions as a living organic gallery, making every night slightly different and artistically unique.
The Minnesota Zoo approaches this event with precise strategy and organization, and we were amazed how fluidly lines moved, particularly considering the large crowds in attendance. While guests aren’t able to access major animal exhibits during this event[12], Cam and I were able to encounter marine life during a quick pre-pumpkin bathroom stop. We admired jellyfish, starfish, and various types of sharks before finding our way to the start of the line.
Then, we traversed the eerily lit zoo, stopping at points to appreciate the musical ambiance and even getting “trapped” in a blinding purple tunnel for a little longer than we would have preferred[13].
But, after a bit more zigging, zagging, and Monster Mash-ing we had finally made it: Pumpkins as far as the eye could see!
While I knew we’d encounter a plethora of pumpkins, I didn’t know to anticipate the overwhelming magnitude of what stood before us. I was instantly overcome with the exhibit’s artistic charm, thematic music, and spooky charisma. This year’s theme takes visitors on a delightful pumpkin tour around the world, with stops in the Caribbean, Mexico, Asia, India, Africa, and several European countries.
The trail features lit lanterns of all different designs and sizes, creatively carved and displayed from ground to treetop, creating an almost tunnel-like pumpkin effect. As I navigated the crowds I took in the artful designs and intricate, otherworldly details, losing myself in child-like wonder. We took our time traversing the trail, stopping to examine the hauntingly masterful details and soak in the spooky magic of the season.
While I wholly enjoyed each aspect of the exhibit, perhaps I most appreciated the ability to take something common and to transform it into something undeniably spectacular. What a good reminder: Beauty surrounds us daily if only we know where—and how— to look.
Inspired? Want to recreate the Jack-O-Lantern Spectacular for yourself at home? While you might encounter some difficulty getting your hands on 20,000 pumpkins, there’s still time to celebrate by creating an in-house pumpkin carving extravaganza. Here are a few tips and ideas to make the most of your experience:
1. Rather than cutting the top of the pumpkin where the stem is, consider cutting the pumpkin on its side. Removing the top of your pumpkin both harms its structural integrity and cuts off its supply of nutrients and moisture.
2. Get creative with your carving tools! There’s no need to stick with the simple knife and carving kit routine. Rather, ransack your kitchen for anything that will enhance your sculpting ability and shed light on your artistic flair. Lemon zesters, rasps, Exacto knives, and ice cream scoops (for the guts!) are particularly useful.
3. Looking to avoid mold? Do a clean sweep and scoop everything out of your pumpkin before getting creative with its design. By not removing pumpkin guts you will accelerate mold growth and rapidly decrease your pumpkin’s projected lifespan.
4. For more distinct artwork, use stencils or project an image onto the pumpkin prior to carving. As a general rule, the deeper the etching on the skin, the lighter it will be; the more shallow the cut, the darker the color. Carve accordingly!
5. Welcome blemishes! Rather than dismissing odd shapes, embrace these (possibly deformed) pumpkin nuances by incorporating them as intentional design features. Carving a witch? Why not feature that bump as a wart on her nose? Looking to design a skyline? Look for a tall pumpkin that will really accentuate building height. The Minnesota Zoo expertly selects pumpkins that will best enhance this type of artistic design, with my favorite example featuring Buddha with a slight pumpkin protrusion exactly where his enlarged belly sits: Ingenious!
6. Appropriately sync your carving with when you plan to feature your pumpkin artwork. While un-carved pumpkins will last a long time, carved pumpkins begin to expire within 4-5 days. Remember: You are working with a perishable food item, so your art will eventually meet its demise. As a frame of reference, most professional carvers put knife to pumpkin within 24 hours of an event.
7. Want to extend the life of your carved pumpkin? Put it in the fridge. While your pumpkin won’t last forever, wrapping it in plastic wrap and placing it in the fridge will extend its life as much as possible. Of course, frigid Minnesota temperatures will also do nicely.
Wherever your pumpkin carving takes you, delight in your ability to take the ordinary and transform it into the extraordinary; Regardless of the other “tricks” you might encounter tonight, surround yourself with some pumpkin orange and savor the small, common “treats” that surround us daily.
Happy Halloween!
[1] This famous quote comes to us courtesy of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth (not to be confused with the blocker buster Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen film of nearly equal acclaim and literary merit.)
[2] Sounds like a nice guy, huh?
[3] As one does.
[4] That’s it? No three wishes or anything like that? You mean to tell me you have the devil trapped in a tree and can make him do anything you want, and that’s all you ask for? And then you let him go? This Jack fellow surely doesn’t know how to utilize his resources…
[5] Again, I’m not quite sure why Jack did this. After all that effort to avoid eternal damnation now he’s actually seeking it because he’s locked out of heaven?! Poor, Jack: You sweet, sweet dumdum.
[6] REALLY? Is anyone else buying this? How is this even a story?! He’s the DEVIL! You’re telling me he wouldn’t lie, cheat, and steal if it was convenient for him? He wouldn’t recant his initial offer just to get out of a tough spot? Rather, he seems like a pretty honorable, upstanding devil, true to his word and such. So… yeah… I’d say this story’s credibility has been compromised.
[7] Once more, this devil seems oddly upstanding and hospitable…
[8] Again, as one does.
[9] And paradoxically perplexing…
[10] No, it’s not Santa’s elves getting an early start to the holiday season by putting their production skills to the test. Good guess though!
[11] That’s a lot of pumpkin guts!
[12] As the animals are sleeping (or rather cursing the thousands of guests that prevent them from sleeping for one monthlong ghoulish joke gone wrong)…
[13] Haunting, indeed!
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