How to pick a good pumpkin

If you’ve waited this long for your Halloween pumpkin, you may as well pick a good one.

If you’re planning to carve your pumpkin into a Jack-O’-Lantern, Zac Livingston, who works at Tolmachoff Farms in Glendale, said it needs a good, firm body.

“First of all, you want to find a good face — a good, tall, flat face,” he said. “Second is the stem: If the stem is soggy and wet, the lifespan on it is pretty short.”

Livingston said you’ll be able to pick up a quality pumpkin from the stem.

If you want your pumpkin sitting around the house for a while, Livingston suggests keeping it protected.

“If it’s in the shade or maybe inside, they can last you 2-3 weeks,” he said.

Just know that once you carve into it, you’ll probably be throwing it away within five to seven days.