Five Places to Pick Pumpkins Near Home

By Joe Lipovich (Patch Staff)

NEWPORT, RI — Pumpkin picking season is already in full swing. If you hope to welcome trick-or-treaters with Jack O Lantern that are not decrepit and moldy, the time to carve pumpkins is quickly approaching.
The most important part of making a Jack O Lantern is the pumpkin. Here are places near home where you can pick pumpkins, according to Farm Fresh RI:

Newport

• Escobar Farm, Portsmouth
• Quonset View Farm, Portsmouth
• Sweet Berry Farm, Middletown
• Old Stone Orchard, Little Compton

North Kingstown

• Narrow Lane Orchard, North Kingstown
• Schartner Farms, Portsmouth
• Carpenter's Farm, Wakefield

Woonsocket

• Jaswell's Farm, Smithfield
• Steere Orchard, Greenville
• Salisbury Farm, Johnston
• Wojcik's Farm, Blackstone, Mass.
• Phantom Farms, Cumberland

Editor's Note: We would love to see your finished product. Send pictures of your carved pumpkins to joe.lipovich@patch.com, and we will post photos of some of the best and wackiest creations!

Prevent your Jack-O-Lantern from Rotting

While products such as Pumpkin Fresh may take an extra trip to the store to get your hands on, you can help extend the life of your Jack O Lantern with items that are probably sitting under your sink.
My Science Project, a website that helps answer every day questions through science experiments, found that treating your pumpkin with bleach right after carving can help your Jack O Lantern last up to 10 days with minimal mold and rotting.
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Our research has shown that using bleach may be the best way to prevent molding with typical household items. Here's how to do it.

• Fill up a bucket, tub or large water container with enough water so that the pumpkin can be submerged completely.
• Introduce household bleach into the mixture, between one and two teaspoons for every gallon of water.
• Completely submerge the carved pumpkin in the mixture for around 8 hours.
• Let the pumpkin air-dry, and spray the pumpkin with a solution of one teaspoon of bleach in water daily.

Locally-Inspired Jack O Lantern Designs

Here are some cool locally inspired pumpkin design ideas that you may want to try. Keep in mind, these designs may vary in difficulty.

1. New England Patriots Logo
2. Boston Red Sox Logos

Image via PublicDomainPictures.net