[Lithium_joe]

Did a spot of late-night shopping last night and was surprised to see the local supermarket had a box of Halloween pumpkins set out on display.

However, nearly all had deep scratches on them and a sort of grey (I was assured it wasn't a mould or fungus) but a grey solid something had filled in these gashes and was often down one side.(it looked like someone had spilled really watery cement that had hardened)

Now, I'm told, don't worry about the exterior condition of the pumpkins - one lit and it's dark it'll not show, but even so I was looking at these pumpkins feeling slightly wary.

So I was just wondering when you buy your Halloween pumpkins are they flawless and orange all the way around or is the grey wotsit a natural part of pumpkins and I'm wrong to be perturbed?

[matspud]

I wouldn't touch them. They probably won't last.( OK if they are just for practice now.)

Don't go for anything that has broken the skin. even small pierced areas can cause problems. Check for soft spots as well.

I wipe all my kins down with flash wipes ( or similar antibacterial) when I get them home and store in a cool dry place

[GUS]

god, flash wipes are toxic as hell, nasty, they turn my hands grey & kill my skin (seriously) ,I'd not recommend using those on anything you with to later touch yourself.
alcohol gel? ...pickled pumpkins?

[Lithium_joe]

It seemed all the pumpkins in this display were affected to lesser or minor degrees but on some the skin-thing I describe was quite substantial.

They also all seemed quite small. I' wondering if this is just a poor harvest.

[matspud]

Sorry GUS I didn't realise you were so averse to flash wipes. I must say I have never had a problem with them doing more than drying my skin a bit and I always wash well afterwards. The point I was getting at was I use a form of anitbacterial but dont want to drench the pumpkin just wipe it all over.

[GUS]

Thats the odd thing my skins as tough as leather yet pretty soft too (farm work) there must be alot of nasty chems in their product full stop to provoke that sort of thing, if you are going to carry on with that type of product then natural latex gloves maybe!?

..the toxins we absorb these days etc etc..

Alcohol wipe / hand sanitizer, GENIE fluid & a wipe over 'd be my pick, ...I also don't like the feel of those disposable wipes I haven't looked but am pretty sure they're not very eco friendly, more like nappies In landfill type material.

We tend to use genie diluted in a spray bottle for just about everything, (animal friendly & maff approved for pretty much everything. a couple of liters will last you several years more than likely)!

off topic I know but I'm a bit of a greeny / green energy buff!

[SaneInsideInsanity]

It's probbaly a infected havest some sort of bacteria or something...pumpkin rot? maybe like blossom rot on tomatoes.... but i wouldn;t touch them if i were you. though then again i spend about an hour digging through the bins at store or fields to get perfect kins...:d...i have no life