One of our favorite fall activities is pumpkin carving. This year we thought it would be fun to both carve part of the same pumpkin. Though there were a few mishaps along the way, it was a lot of fun.

SHE SAID:

I think this was my most enjoyable pumpkin carving experience yet and I think I know why. For starters, my design (our logo) wasn’t too complicated with crazy precision cuts and detail (although Brad almost gave the boy a uni-leg). I’ve always wanted to carve one of those advanced portraits that require fancy pumpkin carving kits, but I’m not convinced I have the patience or time for that. On a side note, has anyone ever used one of those kits? Are they worth the investment?

Since I didn’t carve a very detailed design, I wasn’t sitting on our living room floor for hours on end, with my hips seizing and ready to snap. I decided to carve the girl part of the logo and Brad carved the boy, so it only took me about 15 minutes. Before we carved anything, Brad printed off a large version of the stick figures in our logo. Then I drew them onto the pumpkin with a marker as a basic guide. I had a lot of fun carving our pumpkin this year and I’m really happy to be displaying it on our front step.

If you’re new to pumpkin carving, here are a few tips to help you on your way:

• Carve a hole in the top that’s big enough to allow easy scooping out of the pumpkin guts. Don’t forget to cut on an angle so the top has something to sit on.
• Scoop out the guts with a spoon and roast the seeds if desired
• Draw on the pumpkin or use a template and punch the design onto your pumpkin with a tack or nail.
• Only make flesh wounds your first time around the design to avoid making too big of a gouge, then go back around to make deeper cuts.
• Instead of trying to push out one massive piece, if your design allows, cut the larger section up into smaller chunks to push through.

HE SAID:

Pumpkin carving wasn’t really a tradition in our house growing up. I’m not sure why, but we just never really cared to do it every year. I think it’s safe to say it’s a tradition for Susan and I though, since we’ve carved a pumpkin every year since we got married.

Due to time constraints, we decided to do the initial gutting of the pumpkin and the carving on separate nights. This might not have been the best idea as our pumpkins are already beginning to go mushy on the bottom. Carving pumpkins doesn’t require much set up, just spread out some garbage bags or newspaper, grab a spoon and a few different size knives and you’re ready to go.

Those of you who have been reading Things To Do For Two for a while will remember in our post about the Cold Stone Creamery that I mentioned how I really don’t like it when my food gets mashed together. Well, I have another small “thing” (some people might call it an “issue”…) I need to confess to you. I really don’t like getting my hands dirty. I’ve been this way since I was little. I distinctly remember on the drive home from school one day as a kid, I looked over at the kid next to me who had food all over his fingers. He didn’t even care. He just sat there like it was no big deal. Even now just thinking about it gets me anxious. So you can imagine how much I love shoving my hand inside a freshly cut pumpkin and scooping out the seeds…

Moving on.

If you are looking for a design to carve into your pumpkin, try to stay away from anything with small round corners, or any other intricate details. Since we just carved our logo into one of our pumpkins, it was fairly easy. Susan carved the girl half and I carved the boy half. There was only one emergency in the process. On the very last part of the pumpkin to be carved, I was supposed to leave a thin piece to separate the legs of my half. Well, in trying to pull out a chunk of leg I almost snapped off that piece which would have resulted in a dude with an abnormally long torso. Thankfully we were able to salvage it and it actually turned out quite nice.

Other than having to shove my hand into a nasty pumpkin, the only other down side was that my wrist felt like it was going to snap by the end of the carving. I’m sure that’s not normal, so don’t worry about it when you carve yours.
I’m sure most of you have tried this before. But for anyone who hasn’t, it’s a lot of fun. Last year I carved the Batman symbol into my pumpkin, which I was quite proud of. If you have any pumpkin carving stories we would love to hear them. Also, if you want to send us pictures of your carved pumpkins we could make a gallery to share them with everyone. If you are still looking for ideas of what to carve, check out this website for lots of great ideas. By the way, we still have one pumpkin left to carve so if you have any requests please let us know.

Fall festivals can be a lot of fun for two. They are a great excuse to get out of the house and enjoy the cool air and the fall colours. The Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay was something new to us. As we mentioned in our last post, we’ve gone to see the pumpkin people for the past three years, but we weren’t sure how these scarecrows would compare. So we jumped in the car on a sunny Saturday and drove to Mahone Bay to take a look.

HE SAID:

I tend to be the kind of person who enjoys traditions. I didn’t grow up in a family that had very many traditions, but for some reason I really enjoy them. I love the fact that every October we go get our pumpkins and our pumpkin fudge from the same spot and then go drive around and look at the pumpkin people. It’s just what we do. So when Susan suggested the Scarecrow Festival, I have to admit I was worried that:

a) it would mess up our pumpkin traditions (not good people, not good) or

b) it wouldn’t measure up to greatness that is the pumpkin people

Well, I’m pleased to report that I was wrong on both counts.

The Scarecrow Festival has a totally different feel than the Kentville Harvest Festival, largely because of how the towns are laid out. Going to see the pumpkin people involves driving along and enjoying the scenery while getting out to look around every now and then, while the Scarecrow Festival involves more walking, exploring, and bumping into people you know on Twitter.

I wasn’t expecting the scarecrows to be done up in such detail. Most of the celebrity scarecrows were easily recognizable, and even the more random ones were done very nicely. I think my favorite was the vampire one, at least I think it was a vampire. It just seemed so odd to see all these nice happy looking scarecrows and then over near the water is a vampire chasing down some innocent bystander scarecrows.

The other great thing about the festival was all the nice little shops along the way. Every shop is different from the next and they all have something worth looking at. One shop even had cookies and coffee available for it’s shoppers which I thought was really great. Some of the other activities going on were an antique fair, an old fashioned pie baking contest, and at night there is a “magical pumpkin path” which features a display of carved pumpkins that are lit up.

I had a really great time at the Scarecrow Festival and will definitely go back next year. If you are looking for something fun to do for two, do a little research to see if there are any fall festivals going on in your area. It’s a great way to get out and enjoy the fall weather together.

SHE SAID:

When I first heard about the Great Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay, I knew we had to go check it out. I was a little worried it might be kind of lame, but it proved to be quite enjoyable.

When I think of scarecrows I think of the ones my Grandmother used to craft out of a broomstick, an old flannel shirt and aluminum pie plates. The scarecrows of Mahone Bay are of another class altogether. For one, they actually have faces and some of them are even famous. Some stand alone, while others are grouped with fellow politicians or musicians.

Of the thirty or so we saw, my favourite was the Michael Jackson scarecrow outside of Sea Witch Cottage. The designer captured him perfectly in scarecrow form, complete with black shoes, white socks and mangled nose. Thriller was even playing in the background. Oh, sweet, straw-stuffed Michael.

If you’re thinking of going next year, I would consider going early. We got there around 10 am and it was a nice leisurely walk, but by the time we were ready to leave 2 hours later, the sidewalks were packed and traffic was crawling. We didn’t get to check out everything that was going on during the Scarecrow Festival, but I’ll be sure to check out the Magical Pumpkin Path for pumpkin carving inspiration.

If I had to choose one season to live in for the rest of my life, it would be autumn. I love when the summer humidity finally leaves and is replaced by the crisp, frosty air. I love pulling out my sweaters, scarves and fall coat and dressing in layers. Since these lovely conditions only last so long before winter punches us in the face, we decided to take advantage of the sunny weather forecast and create a day around the symbolic fall vegetable – the pumpkin.

SHE SAID:

After my sister told me about some pumpkin pancakes she saw advertised during her latest vacation to the States, I was determined to start my day with these. Unfortunately, the trend has not caught on yet (that I could find) in the Halifax area. I could have attempted making them using one of the numerous recipes online, but that could have created two possible ugly scenarios: 1) choosing a bad recipe and making crap pancakes and 2) having to make breakfast – bleck!

Even though there are stores 5 minutes away that sell pumpkins, we like to go to Hennigar’s in Wolfville. If you’re into ripping your own pumpkin out of the ground, the Stirling Fruit Farms just before Hennigar’s lets you indulge in such experiences.

Though Brad loves sorting through the gourds and pumpkins, I go to Hennigar’s mainly for the delicious pumpkin fudge! I discovered this decadent treat a couple of years ago and have been back to buy it every fall since then. Personally, I think it is equal in greatness to pumpkin pie, if not better. They had a “Buy 1lb, get a ½ lb free” deal going on, so I was able to get even more…to share with friends and family of course.

Brad and I also usually buy a new Christmas ornament at Hennigar’s while we’re out getting our pumpkins. We must have come too early this year because the trees that normally house these weren’t set up yet. Oh well, an excuse for another outing!

Once we had selected the pumpkins for our carvings this year (more on that in a later post), there was one more thing to check out – the pumpkin people! Every October the town of Kentville has a Harvest Festival, where businesses and residents alike create pumpkin people displays. This year’s theme celebrates the winter Olympics. We suggest going towards the end of October to see the complete display.

Though we were kind of bummed out by the few pumpkin people displays and no ornaments at Hennigar’s, we made the best of it and had a fun pumpkin day nonetheless.

HE SAID:

What do you get when you have pumpkins, pumpkin spice latte’s, pumpkin fudge, and pumpkin people? You guessed it, Pumpkin Day! In the three years we have been married, this annual day trip has become one of my favorite traditions.

The drive down to get our pumpkin was fantastic. The fall colours were amazing so there was no shortage of beautiful scenery. Mixing the perfect fall day with a pumpkin spice latte was a really great choice since there’s not too many things I like more than a cool, early morning with a hot drink.

Our destination was Hennigar’s. Sure we could be more adventurous and get our pumpkin from a pumpkin patch, but I like that everything we want is right there. Hennigar’s is always full of people since there is a market there where you can buy fresh veggies and lots of other things. Once we picked up our pumpkin fudge we headed into the green house to pick out our pumpkins.

You know that scene in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation where they trudge through the snow until they find the perfect Christmas tree as a chorus of angels sing and a light from heaven guides them to the right one? Well for me, picking out a pumpkin at Hennigar’s is just like that. Minus the snow…and the Christmas trees…and the angelic choir….and the heavenly lights. So maybe it’s not quite the same, but it is in my head. I love walking by the rows of pumpkins over and over until I find the one with the perfect size and shape. I think I found the perfect one this year if I do say so myself.

Once we loaded our pumpkins into the car we headed out to see the pumpkin people (technically it’s the Kentville Harvest Festival). I remember three years ago when I first saw them. I thought it was the creepiest thing I had ever seen. Now I love it. Unfortunately there weren’t as many up as usual since we went a little early, but there’s still lots of time left for anyone who still wants to go visit.

So that was pumpkin day. It was a lot of fun and a great way to spend a beautiful Saturday in the fall. We also went to the Scarecrow Festival in Mahone Bay on the same day, but we’ll tell you about that later this week. What are some of your favorite fall traditions? If you’ve ever done a pumpkin day we would love to hear about it.