thought I was the only one who took a SWEDE trick or treating!

[alwayshappy101]

When I was younger,my mum used to dress me in a bin bag for halloween.she couldn't afford a pumpkin either,so she used to painstakingly carve out the middle of a SWEDE and put a tea light in and a bit of string through to take with me.
one year she forked out for fake scars which she stuck to my face using lemon curd!

I thought I was the only one-until today.I was talking to a sales assistant in a shoe shop who's mum dressed her in a bin bag and carved a swede for her too!

Are there any other bin bag wearing swede takers out there too?

[atticusclaw2]

Apples here. They didn't last very long at all but the halloween was just one night in my day...

[NotAPuffin]

I'm in Ireland and we definitely did bin bags. We only tried carving a turnip once. It didn't go well and other years we made do with just the binbags.

And when you went trick or treating, you'd get loads of apples, oranges and monkey nuts, and maybe one lolly if you were lucky.

[bigTillyMint]

I remember taking a carved swede (which was called a turnip in our house) to brownies Halloween parties - no Trick or Treating where I lived. I think I had a homemade witch outfit with hat though!

[TooTweeOrNotTooTwee]

My husband's a Swede. Maybe I should take him trick or treating..

[atticusclaw2]

Turnips and Swedes are different.

All a lot cheaper than pumpkins though in those days..

[YesILikeItToo]

I always had a turnip lantern and I always remember the trouble it caused getting it hollowed out and the face carved in it. The first year I carved a pumpkin for dd I set aside a couple of hours to do it, I thought it was so big that it would be so hard! Couldn't believe it when I was done in less than 10 minutes...

[Keeptrudging]

It's a neepy lantern, and we went guising, never trick or treating!

[YesILikeItToo]

Atticus, I doubt anyone ever carved one of those wee white turnips! A turnip is a name used for swedes in some parts of the country.

[ohdearme1958]

Another Onecwho carried a Swede at Halloween. But then it was traditional in Scotland. We also did bin bags as well but they'd be topped off with a Witches hat from Andrew G Kidds the bakers.

[TheSilveryPussycat]

Early 90's in North East I carved swedes for the DC. Round here back then it was all swedes on Halloween.

But in my late 50's and early 60's London childhood we didn't do Halloween at all. The done thing was to make a guy out of old clothes stuffed with newspaper, and take this round knocking on doors and asking "Penny for the Guy?"

I even remember that some kids had Penny for the Guy pitches, sitting on the pavement next to their Guys.

[ohdearme1958]

Yep I went guising as well.

[ShowMeTheElf]

I don't think I saw a pumpkin in the UK until I was in my 30s. Always a swede.
I remember one year my Mum on autopilot peeled and chopped it just before we got in from school on Halloween, so we hollowed out oranges instead and made tiny lanterns (with the nipples off baby bottles for noses). I'd completely forgotten that! Thanks for the memory OP.

[PuellaEstCornelia]

Turnips. Guising; never trick or treating!
Round here the kids all call it trick or treating but they all come up with a riddle or a joke when you ask for it!
And we only got monkey nuts, Apple's, possibly a ha'penny.
Showing my age there!

[Kelvingrove]

We used sugar beet! They were really difficult to carve and had a sweet smell of burning sugar when we lit the candle.

[PikachuSayBoo]

Not carved but painted.

[ratspeaker]

We went guising with tumshie lanterns. Known as turnips not swedes in Scotland.
Also did the treacle scone on a thread thing. They were hung by athread from a door framesnd you had to try taking a bite withhands behind your back

[YesILikeItToo]

Ha! ratspeaker I remember those, but apparently they do this with ring donuts now. Talk about softies.

[hollyisalovelyname]

MissMillement we too were dressed with sheets. Or our dad's clothes .
No pumpkin or even a turnip.
We went 'collecting' not trick or treating.
We got apples ( yuck) loads of nuts and the odd sweet and some money (yay)
It's all Americanised now.
I thought the OP was bringing a handsome Viking with her trick or treating

[GothyGeisha]

Yes, Mum did us a turnip, stank to high heaven when the candle was lit. Bit of string for a handle. Weren't allowed to go trick or treating though, mid 70's, time of blackouts on an evening, was very spooky anyway. Remember using turnipface to see way to the loo in the dark!

[GothyGeisha]

Oh and apple bobbing in a bucket of water too, no health and safety in the good old days!

[bonsgirl]

Another bin bag witch and turnip carver here!

[Borisrules]

Oh dear god, I remember the strench of finely chiseled swede (notice no capital S)
Uggggh. Have we decided that this was child abuse??? If so, please point me in the direction of the swede childhood recovery thread....

[Pinkgeek]

I had swedes in the 90s!

[hollyisalovelyname]

Why is this in Relationships?

[ohdearme1958]

Holly the OP posted it here in error.

Not that it would have taken much to work that out.