How To Choose the Freshest Pumpkin for Your Home

When it’s time to buy pumpkins, it helps to have a strategy. Of course, your pumpkin(s) must fit the aesthetic you’re going for. But you also want freshness, to ensure lasting good looks throughout the season.

We talked with experts to learn the signs of a fresh pumpkin vs. one that may already be rotting on the inside. Here’s what we found out.

Local Is Best

Pumpkins are vine-growing ramblers cut in the field once they reach maturation. A pumpkin that’s cut and put directly on display at a local stand is super-fresh.

“The best way to get a fresh pumpkin is to ask a person who knows!” says Yadira Silva, a grower and compost coordinator with Heritage Farm of Snug Harbor Cultural Center, Staten Island, N.Y.

When you buy from a local grower, you’re also supporting a local business and choosing a pumpkin with a low carbon footprint.

“Getting a local pumpkin from a farmers market or farm stand will ensure that your pumpkin is fresh and ripe and will take you through the season,” says Juliet Glass, a farmers market and produce expert with Freshfarm.

“Pumpkins at grocery stores and hardware stores sometimes have traveled long distances, been bumped and jostled along the way, and might not last as long as you’d like.”

Check the Stem

The stem can tell you a lot about the condition of a pumpkin.

“The stem of pumpkins turns from green to brown as the pumpkin matures and ripens,” says Glass. A green stem means the pumpkin still needs time to mature. “For farmers, a brown and woody stem is a sign that the pumpkin is ready to pick,” she says.

Nevin Martell, a writer who covers food and garden topics, says, “Look at the stem and test to see if it moves around or seems loose. This can be an indication of a shorter shelf life.” And Silva says, “If the stem seems to be rotted, or not sturdy, the pumpkin’s center has already begun to decay,”

Glass cautions consumers never to pick up a pumpkin by the stem. “The stem can break off easily, marring the look of the pumpkin and introducing a way for rot and disease to enter the fruit, shortening the life of the pumpkin,” Glass says.

Uniform Color

Natalia Ganelin/Getty Images

Consider the overall color of the gourd. Do you see light or dark spots, or other patches of discoloration? An even overall color signals a fresh pumpkin.

“Once picked, pumpkins stay the color that they are [orange, white or hybrid],” Glass says. “So don’t select a pale pumpkin hoping that it turns a deeper color of orange!”

And it’s OK to mix different color pumpkins. “Think beyond the orange pumpkins when making selections,” Martell says. “Different colors and sizes add visual interest and character when creating your display.”

Surface and Shape

A fresh pumpkin should be firm to the touch, with no nicks, spots or blemishes. Check for freshness by lightly touching the outside and running your hand over the surface. Test by touch for any soft spots.

“Don’t forget to check the bottom!” Glass says. “Even a small nick or blemish can allow disease and pests to enter and make your pumpkin rot early.”

However, don’t worry if the pumpkin isn’t a perfect shape. That’s what distinguishes it from a plastic pumpkin! “You do want to make sure that the pumpkin will sit well and be balanced,” says Martell.

Carving, Lighting and Disposal

A few more tips:

• The thinner the better: “For carving, choose a pumpkin with thin walls,” Glass says. “Otherwise it will be harder to carve and illuminate from the inside.”
  • Judge wall thickness by tapping the pumpkin gently and listening for a hollow sound, indicating thinner walls. You can also choose several similarly sized pumpkins and lift each one. The lightest ones likely have the thinnest walls.
• Delay carving: Natalie Andelin, a farmer with Andelin Family Farms in Sparks, Nevada, says, “Wait to carve pumpkins until right before you are ready to display them. A pumpkin, once it is carved, will deteriorate, dry out or mold quickly. It could be a matter of a few days to a week depending on the weather.”
• Don’t use real candles: When lighting a jack-o-lantern from the inside, avoid candles with an actual flame. They’re a safety hazard. Martell suggests battery-powered lights instead.
• Don’t trash pumpkins: “Pumpkins are organic material and can go back to nature,” Silva says. “Find a local composting facility in your area where you can take the pumpkin. Many organizations host pumpkin smashing events to compost your decorations.”