How Many Days Until Halloween? 25 Days Left on Oct. 6

Buying a pumpkin is a job for this month and carving one is a job for the next weekend. Halloween is 25 days away, on Saturday, October 31, which leaves eighteen weekdays, seven weekend days and three Saturdays before it.

Buying a pumpkin and carving one are separate jobs, and October 6 sits at the front edge of the buying window while being far too early for the carving.

A carved pumpkin has a shelf life of about a week

Once the inside is exposed to air, the cut surfaces soften and darken in a few days. Mold follows within about seven days in a warm room. A pumpkin carved today would be collapsing by the twenty-fourth, which is the weekend most people carve. Buy now if the selection matters to you, keep it uncut, and store it somewhere cool and dry where the sun does not reach it.

The shopping tips are unglamorous and they work. A stem that is firm and still attached, a rind without soft spots, and weight that feels heavy for the size. A flat bottom matters more than a symmetrical shape, because a jack-o’-lantern on a wobbly base tips once a candle is inside.

Farms and patches run out of large pumpkins before small ones, so a household that wants one big carving pumpkin should go early rather than late in the day. Grocery stores are a reasonable fallback and have the advantage of being open on October 30.

Light it without cooking it

A battery-powered light is the practical choice. A real candle puts heat directly under the lid, which dries and warps the pumpkin from the inside and shortens its life. It also gets knocked over by a costume on a crowded porch. Battery lights are bright enough for the effect and can be switched off when the evening ends.

Cutting technique is worth one minute of thought. Cut the lid at an angle rather than straight down, so it seats itself when replaced, and cut a small notch in the top to let heat and moisture escape. Scoop thoroughly. Anything left inside speeds the rot.

Decide now whether the pumpkin belongs on the porch or in a window. A window keeps it out of rain and out of reach, which is a real consideration for anyone who has had a carved pumpkin kicked off a step.

A carved pumpkin also belongs off the main walking line, since children in masks do not see what is at their feet. And keep the seeds. Twenty minutes in a low oven turns the carving project into something with an output rather than a mess.