Our annual pumpkin-carving Family Home Evening took place last night. Here are the results:
Did you know that people didn't carve pumpkins until the American Colonies were settled? Before that, they carved turnips. Carving turnips is actually a really fun twist on everything. In some ways, they are easier to carve than pumpkins (and there's no yucky goop to deal with...) You use an apple-corer to hollow out the inside, and a spoon to scrape the sides until they're about 1/4" thick. Then, you use a small paring knife to cut the design in the skin. You don't cut all the way through, you make tiny cuts, then peel off the skin in the desired locations. Use the apple corer to cut several round holes in the top so the candle won't blow out. The light shines through the skin.
Sariah keeps asking me, "What's your pumpkin called again, Mom?" She can't remember the word "turnip".
We lit the turnip today while telling the story of the man who grew such a big turnip that he had to have his wife, son, dog, cat, and then mouse help him pull it out. Afterward, Sariah, who is quite the little storyteller, shared with me her version of it:
Sariah: There was a farmer who planted a tomato and it wouldn't come out. So he pulled and he pulled and the turnip wouldn't come out.
Mom: I thought it was a tomato?
Sariah: Oh, yeah, the tomato wouldn't come up. So he called a bad, bad wolf. And he eat it up!
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