A question for the "Old Skool" Welsh and Irish on my f-list

[xiphias]

So, let's say that I had turnips around to make stew with, and it's also getting on toward Halloween, and as I usually peel turnips to put into stews anyway, I started thinking about making an Old School jack-o-lantern out of one or two of 'em.

'Cause, well, I am.

(Jack-o-lanterns used to be made from turnips. They switched to pumpkins in the New World, because pumpkins are like a million times easier to carve.)

How would I go about hollowing out a turnip?

First, since I've got both (they taste different, and I like to have both in my stew), should I use the large yellow turnip (aka rutabaga or swede), or the smaller purple-top turnips?

Second, how do I get the insides out? I'm figuring "stab with a knife and scoop out with a grapefruit spoon" -- are there any better ideas, or is that about the state of the art?

Comments

[happybat.livejournal.com]

This is a very Scottish custom too - called a Neepie Lantern.

You need a large turnip (what the English call a swede) and a sharp, strong knife, and also a spoon. In my family we used a robust old serving spoon, which had usefully sharp edges. You should be prepared for really sore hands!

Slice the top off, then carve a cone out of the middle, then carve away as much more using the knife as you can. Resign yourself to a LOT of scraping. We used to find that between two children and one parent, one large neep was as much as we could manage.

Be aware that when you light a candle in it, you will get a strong smell of burned turnip, and that it will rot fast. Still, I would never dream of using anything else... Authentic smell of a Scottish childhood!

[papersky.livejournal.com]

It's a lovely smell!