Watermelon Jack O'Lanterns and Other Halloween Alternative Ideas

With Halloween comes the inevitable cutting into pumpkins, gutting out the seeds and fibers, drawing a design, and more cutting. We thought it’d be fun to switch it up this year and share a few alternative ideas to pumpkin carving. The Truman Park Blog invites you to dig into a watermelon, slice open an apple, and turn that zucchini into the scariest vegetable you’ve ever seen. Who knows? Maybe you’ll start a new tradition in your Largo, MD apartment with these great ideas!

Watermelon

If you’ve never carved a watermelon for Halloween, then you might be surprised by just how awesome it can be! Similar to carving a pumpkin, the watermelon provides the perfect canvas for any spooky art design. This summertime favorite fruit packs a powerful surprise. It’s all thanks to the bright transition in colors, from green to white to red. Carve a brain or a monster with a bloody appetite. A tea light inside will give whatever your creation is a boost of creepiness, with the red dancing inside to scare the trick-or-treaters. Check out these 10 Halloween Watermelon Carvings to gain some inspiration!

Pineapple

This Prickly Pineapple-O’-Lantern has an incredible glow with a light inside. Just this one example gives us a bunch of ideas to make a great Halloween even better, not to mention a yummy snack on the side.

Apple

An apple-o’-lantern is almost like the shrunken head version of a jack-o’-lantern. Watch this YouTube video to see an example of how one is made.

Zucchini

Do you have an oversized zucchini? If so, this might be the perfect craft! From the link: “A Jack-O’-Lantern works best with an [oversized] zucchini. One that your hand can fit into, ideally – this makes it easier to carve out its guts. To hollow it out, cut off the top and carve around the circumference leaving about a quarter inch thick skin. Use a long metal spoon to scrape out the interior…”

Sweet Potato

Just because it doesn’t glow doesn’t make it any less creepy. This Severed Sweet Potato Hand is a powerful yet simple example of a great Halloween carving idea.