The spookiness of Halloween has become synonymous with the tradition of carving pumpkins, but this year’s ritual is on the rocks because of Missouri’s plummeting pumpkin production.
According to the Jefferson City News Tribune, this year’s extremely rainy summer caused a delay in the planting of the pumpkin crop, leaving only 50 to 60 percent of the regular harvest. Don’t fear though; here are some other fruits and vegetables that make great substitutes.
####Potato
Why not make a potat o’lantern? Although carving a potato may seem a little strange, some really unique carvings can come from the seemingly boring brown vegetable. Take a large regular potato and use a melon baller to carve it out, while leaving just enough to keep the walls stiff. Then use a small paring knife to carve out a cute face or a small simple design, like a peace symbol. From there, all you need to add is a small tea light to really have a ghostly Halloween feel.
####Turnip
Turn up on Halloween with this historical pumpkin replacement. Turnip carving was actually popular long before pumpkin carving was and has its historical roots in Celtic history. The Celts brought the tradition to the U.S., but Americans decided to shift to pumpkins instead because of their easy carving properties. Turnips have a similar size and texture to pumpkins, though, which makes them look just like regular mini jack-o’-lanterns, just a little lumpier. Turnip lanterns can have very scary little faces because of their unnerving purple color, turning them into the perfect spooky addition to any Halloween decor.
####Butternut squash
The butternut squash is in the pumpkin family and has the same rigid walls that make pumpkins a favorite to carve. This means that the carvings on a squash can be more intricate and detailed because they’re easier to work with. A butternut squash can be delicately carved into a rose or whittled into a large skull because of their texture. If carving isn’t your thing, though, you can take press-in pumpkin decorations and put them into the squash, using adorable googly eyes or a sinister smile to create the perfect creepy squash before a night of trick-or-treating.
####Pineapple
Pineapples make great tropical pumpkin stand-ins. To turn the pineapple into a jack-o’-lantern, slice the top of the pineapple off and carve the insides out with a metal spoon. With a small knife, a face can be carved into the side of the pineapple, leaving just enough room for a small tea light. The pineapple leaves can also be used as edgy hair to accent the triangle-eyed, toothy smile of a typical pumpkin. Plus, if you use real fire to light the candle, it can make the entire room smell like Halloween in Hawaii.
####Cantaloupe
I can’t(aloupe) even handle how cute a cantaloupe would be as a Halloween lantern. It has a pretty round shape, and almost every eerie design that can be carved into a pumpkin can also be carved into a cantaloupe. A special perk of a cantaloupe lantern is that the insides can be melon-balled out instead of hand-scooped (and it smells a whole lot better). Even cute Mizzou designs like the Columns or Truman the Tiger can be carved into a cantaloupe, making it a great way to celebrate the bone-chilling big day.
