It's time to cut up -- the jack-o-lantern, that is. Go ahead
and make a faceTo carve a cat, ghost or monster, start by washing a pumpkin with warm, soapy water and dry with paper towels or a dish towel.
Working on newspaper, draw a circle around the stem as a guide; then use a sharp, long-bladed knife to slice off a lid. With a sturdy, long-handled spoon, remove strings and seeds.
Choose an area free from irregularities to create a face. Draw your design on a piece of paper first; then cut away on the pumpkin surface.
Finally, place a short, flat-bottomed candle in the center of the pumpkin, light up and replace the lid.
In Hawaii's humid weather, wait until Tuesday to carve and light up a jack-o-lantern, so it won't cave in before Friday's festivities.
Pumpkins vary in shape from round to oblong, and in size from less than 4 pounds to more than 200 pounds.
Pumpkins are gloriously golden in the beta carotene and potassium departments, and no slouch when it comes to iron and riboflavin.
Nevertheless, they are quite low in calories and sodium, while offering no fat or cholesterol.
A roundup of Halloween pumpkin prices shows them at 19 cents a pound at Times Super Markets and to Maika'i Club members at Sack N Save. They're 21 cents a pound to Maika'i Club members at Foodland, 29 cents to others; and 27 cents a pound at Daiei.
Mini pumpkins cost 89 cents a pound at Times, and 79 cents each at Safeway.
By Catherine Kekoa Enomoto, Star-Bulletin
