watermelon carving..

[Sam_hain]

to anyone who has carved a watermelon, is it the same premise as carving a pumpkin...cut the top gut it and then just carve the design??? my guess is it is but just to make sure there isnt a different technique.

[zombiepumpkins]

Carving watermelons is a lot of fun, and people seem impressed, since you don't see it as often as pumpkins. For the most part, the process is very similar to carving pumpkins. But here are some watermelon specific tips.

Grab yourself a watermelon that is big enough to fit the pattern you want to use. With a long kitchen knife, cut an inch or two off one end. This will give you access to the melon insides. It will also provide a flat base for the melon lantern to stand on when you're done. So make this slice nice and straight, so you'll have a flat bottom.

Scooping out the insides of the melon is the step where the process differs most from pumpkin carving. Unlike pumpkins which are somewhat hollow to begin with, you'll have a lot of juicy red flesh to remove from the shell. In my experience, an ice cream scoop works well. Have a very large bowl or pot nearby to drop the big melon balls into. Not only will you have a cool melon lantern when you're done, but you'll have a ton of melon you can eat.

You'll loosen up a lot of juice as you scoop out the melon. They are called watermelons for a good reason. Make sure you keep the cut end upright while scooping, so you're not pouring liquid onto the floor. Every so often you'll want to dump out the excess juice (into the bowl or sink) so you can see what you're doing. Once you get most of the flesh out, you can also use a spoon or pumpkin scoop to scrape away the rest of the insides. You'll know you're done when the pink stuff is mostly gone and you can see the light green/white rind.

From there, the process is the same as carving pumpkins, as far as transferring the pattern and doing the carving. Some say the carving process is actually easier, since the melon rind is thinner than a pumpkin's. So you can cut clean accurate lines, even with complex designs.

[CombichristGirl]

ha ha i found that out day before yesterday lol. first watermelon carving sorry no pics:(
the gutting was very different but other than that it was just like a pumpkin

[Sam_hain]

ya i unfortunately didnt get the chance to carve me up a melon but I did have a good idea for a video if I did lol.


I was gonna send a little 4th of july message saying Hi and then display my watermelon of uncle sam or the fireworks and have sparklers sticking out the top of it...and then all a sudden blow it to bits with a firecracker inside lol..... if wouldve been awesome....

[GUS]

Then do it now whilst the idea is fresh in your head & store it away for another time.

planning, time, opportunity, execution.

[Pumpken]

Here's my first watermelon carve ever. I carved it for July 4, 2010.

[matspud]

WOW

[nosferatu]

Speechless!

Matspud got it right WOW!

[GUS]

Wow ..again!

Brits are poorly educated & monosyllabic, ..can you tell?

[CombichristGirl]

Excellent work.very crisp and even

[zombiepumpkins]

Nice work, Pumpken. Let's hope your first watermelon carving is not be your last. With impressive results like that, I hope you're feeling inspired to try more!

[Pumpken]

Thanks for the kind comments. Unfortunately, my wife thinks I am addicted to carving (and she is right) so I have to be careful since I take up so much time to do pumpkins. I think I will probably save my carving for the Halloween season.