The dying art of swede carving

[MildGreenDairyLiquid]

A lot is said about traditional crafts dying out - thatching, stonemasonry, stained glass. But what about swede carving?

I’m pretty sure I didn’t see a pumpkin in this country until I was 35.

Before that it was the humble swede, now cruelly forgotten.

Tastes nicer too.

Love a mashed swede.

They were practically impossible to carve though! I think they look scarier, but yea hard work

Very true. It was always a swede lantern when I was young (I'm 63).

Do you boil it first?

We used to get the job of hollowing out a swede: it took bloody ages. Chiselling it out with a grapefruit spoon for what seemed like days. Pumpkin is for wimps 🤣🤣

Oh that delicious smell if singed swede. Dad used to put a proper candle in. Don't know if tealights existed in the 70s?

Nooooo!

We had the small white pillar candles (that toppled over) and yes, the smell of that lovely burning swede.

My mum used to carve FOUR of 'em for us kids- she must have had forearms like Popeye

Then how on earth do you carve it? With a diamond blade?

Wow @DollopOfFun she's epic. Dh said he did his own. He said now he'd use a drill. I said you can't that's illegal 😂

Even scarier with a tinge of blood on it from when the knife slipped and sliced your finger open. The flesh wound then went on to enhance the authenticity of your costume.

Those were indeed, 'The Days.'

In our house we used the chisel from my dad's toolbox.

Chiselling it out with a grapefruit spoon for what seemed like days

^

Who needs tiktok eh

My mum used to carve a turnip every Halloween pre pumpkins. It was really hard and now there are pumpkins available it's a no brainer to use that. I do think the turnip looked scarier though

In the north east we call swedes turnips and we call turnips swedes!
in north Northumberland we call turnips (Swedes!) bagies …confused? You soon will be!

I have a turnip arriving today to carve. Slightly concerned about my fingers while doing it but I'm sure I'll survive 🤣

Would a melon baller be tough enough? I feel like having a go. Pumpkins are great and I always make soup even out of carving ones but I'm getting a bit disillusioned with the crappy plastic horror merchandise decorations around. It would be nice to go trad

I actually asked my grandfather about this last night as he made one for my every year when I was a child. He claims he just used a knife to keep cutting bits out but surely he’s misremembering!

Same. My dad was a joiner until he retired and used to bring out his big drill too 🤣

I’m quite resilient and determined and I put it almost entirely down to early experiences swede carving.

I’m nearly 40 and have never seen a carved swede!

Swede lanterns, now that brings back SO many memories!
I loved the time we spent round the kitchen table, squabbling over who got the spoon with the pointy end. They were much scarier than pumpkins, I think, and I loved the smell as the candles warmed them up
Thanks for the reminder (I'm 66)

It was swede or an old tin can with holes punched through it in our house, wax candle precariously placed inside 🤣

Tradition is still going strong where I am. I have to carve one out next week so the child can troop through the village with it. It seems to be obligatory, I have the feeling that if we skip it the 'real' villagers might get out their pitchforks...

Oh my goodness you have reminded me just how bloody difficult it as to carve them. Hard enough to cut them to make mash.