Find The Best Pumpkin At The Patch With This Knock Test

Pumpkin patch season only comes around once a year, with all the corn mazes, petting zoos, and apple cider you can drink. The kids are gung-ho about the whole experience, but it can be tricky to remember exactly how to find the best pumpkin at the patch – especially since most of us only need to know that info for one weekend in the fall. Not every pumpkin at a pumpkin patch is orange. Many varieties come in all shapes and sizes, so you can't just go for the brightest pumpkin on the lot and be satisfied you picked the best. Instead, you'll have to brush up on how to properly choose a pumpkin for cooking or baking, as well as carving. Whether you're picking with a pumpkin pie recipe in mind or looking for the best jack-o-lantern canvas, one trick'll help you find the best pumpkin in the lot: the knock test.

Pumpkins sound hollow when they're ripe, so give each pumpkin you inspect a good knock before you decide which one to take home. You want a ripe pumpkin because the flesh is thicker and there are fewer seeds as it ripens – making it easier for carving and better for baking. A perfectly ripe pumpkin will emit a slight, hollow echo when you give it a tap with your knuckles – a satisfying sign that it's ready to pick. The knock test isn't the only test to help pick the best pumpkin in sight.

There are other tools you can (and should) use to find the best pumpkin in the patch. Look for pumpkins with a uniform color instead of ones with spots or splotches, and search out pumpkins with a long stem still attached to the vine. Avoid pumpkins that look like they were cut too close to the base and ones that have scratches, bruises, or soft spots that are already starting to rot. If a pumpkin feels heavy for its size, there's a good chance it won't rot as fast, so look for one that is heavy, hollow, and mostly one color.

Once you've gotten them home, it's time to create some pumpkin magic. Set aside the best baking pumpkin for that legendary pumpkin pie, or puree it for homemade pumpkin spice lattes. Dig the seeds and innards out of the rest of the pumpkins and pop them in the oven with a good layer of seasoning for a roasted pumpkin seed snack. Then, use our DIY Halloween pumpkin carving pattern guide to outline custom carvings for jack-o-lanterns that'll really set the stage for spooky season.