Professional pumpkin lantern making tools (available in foreign supermarkets, especially during the holiday season, and sometimes sold in foreign schools) generally include: knife, saw, shovel, rake, spoon, etc.
If not, you can use the following substitutes: Knife: can be penetrated into the inside of the pumpkin; Small saw: very narrow and slender, about the thickness of half a pencil (professional tools have this thing, it is very convenient for cutting
(the turning point of the pattern) can be replaced with a knife; a spoon: instead of a small rake in professional tools, used to scrape the inner flesh; pen and paper: a marker or pencil can be used, as well as white paper; candles, ordinary candles can be used,
If it is too long, it can be cut off, but it is best to prepare a candle with a seat or support, which is better fixed inside the pumpkin, such as a flat-bottomed scented candle, or a large and thick cup candle, which will burn longer.
As for whether the candle contains fragrance, it can be based on personal preference.
[3] Operation steps The most important thing when cutting the top cover is the pumpkin’s lid. A pumpkin lantern without a lid is not considered a complete pumpkin lantern!
It's especially depressing when you find out that when you're done, the lid actually falls into the pumpkin.
First, take a marker or pencil and draw the shape of the lid on the top (that is, the end with the handle). The round shape is traditional and a series of operations will follow. (Square, pentagonal, and rhombus are all acceptable.) The area should not be too large.
Just enough for you to put your hand in with a small utility knife or spoon, just right.
Use a knife to insert it obliquely along the outer edge of the mark and take it out completely. Key tips: When lowering the knife, be sure to keep the tip of the knife at a certain angle with the pumpkin.
Hold the handle of the knife with the tip of the knife facing down, and the blade should follow the traces of the line. It is OK if the handle of the knife is tilted within 30 degrees toward the outside of the pumpkin (the slope should not be too large, as it will be very laborious to cut). The lid cut out from this will be on the top of the pumpkin.
Big, small underneath, easy to take out.
When all is done, the lid can be easily placed back on the pumpkin, maintaining its integrity without the lid sagging or falling into the pumpkin cavity.
(If you cut the pumpkin cover vertically, it is easy to fall into the pumpkin. My classmates once proved this misunderstanding in practice.) If the pumpkin cover you cut out is in this shape, small on the top and big on the bottom, it is estimated... that it will be difficult for you to pull out the pumpkin cover.
You can also use a special spoon or a daily spoon to hollow out and thin the melon. Carefully take out the melon seeds and pulp.
Select the place where you plan to carve, and shave the melon rind to a thickness of 1 inch (the skin is thinned to facilitate carving. Remember: if it is too thin, the carving part of the pumpkin will easily break during carving).
You can also simply scrape out the entire inside of the pumpkin and finish here. If the pumpkin pulp is everywhere, you can take the pumpkin and wash it (the seeds can be fried and eaten).
Key point: In this step, the focus is on the bottom side of the pumpkin cavity. Usually there is mustard tissue here, which must be smoothed to facilitate the final placement of the candle inside. You can try placing the candle first to see if it can be placed without falling over.
[3] Method 1 of engraving pattern: Pasting paper mask: At the selected place, stick or nail the prepared paper mask.
When using thumbtacks, be sure to pin them on the dotted lines of the face mask to avoid small holes on the face.
Trace along the dotted line along the dotted edge of the paper mask, and use a small cone or thumbtack to trace the mask on the pumpkin skin.
When finished, peel off the paper mask.
After viewing the effect, use a small awl to correct it point by point.
Even Picasso can't match it!
[3] Method 2: Simple stroke method: Find the side where you want to engrave the pattern, take a pencil or marker, and draw the desired pattern. Simple and creative, it is the best.
Use a knife to penetrate the outer edge of the pattern (make sure there is no handwriting on the pumpkin at the end) and insert the knife or saw up and down. Be patient and don't rush for success. Take a break when you are tired. After a while, you will be digging.
Take out the empty space.
[3] Finishing work: wipe the pumpkin clean, put the candles in place, light them, and you’re done!
[3] Edible value editor: It would be a pity to throw away the pumpkin lantern after using it. You can put it into dishes. The healthy and delicious pumpkin not only has high edible value, but also has therapeutic effects that cannot be ignored.
According to "Southern Yunnan Materia Medica", pumpkin is warm in nature, sweet in taste and non-toxic. It enters the spleen and stomach meridians and can moisten the lungs and replenish qi, resolve phlegm and expel pus, expel parasites and detoxify, treat cough and asthma, and treat lung abscess and constipation.
It has diuretic and beauty effects.
Research and experiments by domestic and foreign medical experts and scholars have shown that eating pumpkin can also treat prostatic hypertrophy (pumpkin seeds can treat prostatic hypertrophy), prevent prostate cancer, prevent arteriosclerosis, gastric mucosal ulcers, and calculus.