Remove the freshly cut lid and slide a bare hand into the moist, stringy mush of seeds and sinew within. Slice into the firm, orange skin with the precision of a surgeon and the flair of an artist. ’Tis the season for pumpkin carving.
Baton Rouge residents looking for a pumpkin to partake in the October ritual may consider the Blackwater United Methodist Church pumpkin patch. Dee McKnight, church volunteer and co-chairman of the event, said the pumpkin patch is in its fourth consecutive year of celebration.
The fleet of more than 1,400 pumpkins was grown in New Mexico and driven to Louisiana by an 18-wheeler, according to McKnight. Ranging from small to large with shades of orange, yellow and white, selecting a pumpkin can be more daunting than choosing a pattern to carve.
Behind the hay-strewn patch, the church’s youth group prepared to take advantage of the crisp autumn Sunday afternoon and carve pumpkins. Anthony Lee, 18, decided to carve a person and Thatch Norton, 14, chose a skull design.
While transforming the orange gourds into jack-o-lanterns is the traditional approach, some have found other crafty ways to display Halloween spirit.
Annette Corkern said her group was searching for pumpkins at the patch with “nice pretty stems,” as well as miniature pumpkins.
“We like to paint our pumpkins rather than carve them,” Corkern said. “Faces, color, glitter, it all lasts longer.”
McKnight said the church raised proceeds, in part, through missions to generate the capital used to buy the numerous pumpkins. She explained the profits earned at the patch are used for charitable endeavors.
“The money we raise goes to helping out members of the community in need,” McKnight said.
McKnight will likely keep busy with more than 1,500 students visiting on field trips in the coming days. The pumpkin patch, located at 10000 Blackwater Road, includes hayrides and a space walk for the kids on Saturdays. On Oct. 20, there will be a classic car show, and the church will host a craft show Oct. 27.
Pumpkins:
- Originated in Central America
- Are 90 percent water
- Are grown on every continent except Antarctica
- Are grown in the greatest quantity by Illinois, among U.S. states
