How to Pick Pumpkins

• 1). In late summer or early fall, call your nearest pumpkin patch to find out the best time to go -- it's often late September or early October. You don't want a field of immature green pumpkins, but you also don't want everything to be picked over.
  
  
• 2). In the field, look for firm pumpkins without bruises, soft spots or mold--that kind of damage means a shorter shelf life. A pumpkin ready to be picked should have a dried stem and a hard shell that resists a fingernail scratch. It should sound hollow when you knock on it.
  
  
• 3). Pick small pumpkins for cooking--they're sweeter and more tender than their big brothers. Miniature and jack-o'-lantern pumpkins are edible, too, but the tiny ones don't have a lot of pulp and the big ones can be stringy.
  
  
• 4). When you're picking, leave the stem long, and carry the pumpkin with your arms underneath so you don't break the stem. This helps preserve the pumpkin and shows everyone you picked it yourself.
  
  
• 5). After you've picked them, cure the pumpkins for about two weeks at 75-85 degrees. (This makes the skin tough.) Then store them in a cool, dry place (50-60 degrees) until you use them. Cured and stored this way, they should last two months or more.