Go old school this Halloween and carve a turnip like it's the 19th century
St. John's resident Dee Payne gives her root vegetables personality
No pumpkin? No problem.
Dee Payne of St. John's has taken to carving turnips for Halloween, an Irish and Scottish tradition that predates the pumpkin.
During the 19th century, people would carve faces into turnips to represent a legend about a man named Jack who wandered the countryside with a lantern — hence the name "jack-o'-lantern."
Once the tradition moved to North America, people moved to easier-to-carve pumpkins.
"It's just something that my mom suggested that we do and I remember carving them," Payne said.
Step 1
Slice the pointy end of the turnip so it lies flat and doesn't roll around.
Step 2
Lop off the top of the turnip and get digging.
Payne says ice cream scoops work best, and suggests making the turnip as thin as possible on the inside so it's easier to carve your design.
Step 3
Decorate your root vegetable friend. Apple peelers and corers can be used as turnip-carving tools.
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