The Best Fruits And Vegetables To Carve If You Can't Get A Pumpkin

Fall's charm cannot be understated. The leaves burn into deep shades of auburn and yellow, and the weather cools until it's perfect for bonfires and hayrides. Perhaps the best part of autumn, too, is decorating for it. Fall decor is riddled with all different styles of pumpkin decorations, and trust us, they can get far more creative than jack-o-lanterns!

Furthermore, pumpkins are sacred because there's actually a specific reason we put jack-o-lanterns out each year, even if we in modernity do this for pleasure. (Plus, don't forget the meanings of colored pumpkins, like teal and purple varieties.) Ultimately, though, the history of carving pumpkins as we know it today dates back to old Irish myths. According to History.com, the Irish myth that jack-o-lanterns come from centers on a man named Stingy Jack, and this myth then came to the United States with Irish immigrants over the centuries.

The original myth tells a tale of Jack's trickery, in which he manipulated the devil multiple times. Once Jack died, then, the devil wouldn't let him into hell and left him with nothing but a piece of coal to guide him in his death. Jack ultimately placed his lump of coal into a carved-out turnip, and this tale passed down over centuries, led to the carving of pumpkins that we know today.

The original tale offers us the fact that turnips can be carved in similar ways to pumpkins, but what other fruits and vegetables may suffice too?

If Jack taught us one thing, it's that any number of fruits and vegetables can be used in our annual autumn tradition of pumpkin carving. After all, other produce is in season during fall, not only pumpkins. According to The Spruce Eats, apples, eggplant, persimmons, sweet potatoes, and zucchini are all plants that reach optimal ripeness in the fall. But which are good for carving?

As it turns out, many fruits and vegetables are perfect for carving, and we should expand our horizons. According to BBC GoodFood, melons, pineapple, tomatoes, and bell peppers are all excellent carving produce. Melons can be emptied out like pumpkins and are similar in size, giving you the best direct alternative. However, pineapples are also very pretty when carved and are naturally bright yellow inside, offering the illusion of a lit candle. Bell peppers only have some easy-to-remove seeds and ribs inside, meaning you could carve these the quickest — and carved stuffed peppers would be perfect for a spooky dinner party. Tomatoes, too, can be cleared out and carved, though they're a little more feeble.

Moreover, HomeCrux, an expansive DIY website, further adds that potatoes, avocados, and apples can all be carved brilliantly. Avocados' insides are soft, meaning you can navigate them with ease. Potatoes, on the other hand, are harder, but the end results always look impressive. Meanwhile, apples can make the perfect dinner party desserts when carved and then cooked. Interestingly, HoemeCrux keeps with tradition and notes that turnips are excellent for carving, too.