Halloween has come and gone. Now, what to do with all those pumpkins decorating your front porch? Don’t let them go to waste by waiting till they have gone bad and then tossing them in the trash. Everyone’s favorite fall flavor for anything edible is pumpkin. This time of the year you’ll see pumpkin flavored lattes, pumpkin beer, pumpkin candy, and even pumpkin cereal. You can get into the pumpkin spirit making a pumpkin bong. It’s easy, requires minimal tools, and you will have the most lit jack-0-lantern around.
Start by sizing up all the pumpkins you have. The bigger the pumpkin, the bigger the hit. You should also prioritize height over roundness since there needs to be enough space for the downstem and mouthpiece. Don’t get overly confident with pumpkin size; if your pumpkin is too big it will make it difficult to toke. A nice, handheld size will do.
To avoid making any mistakes start by mapping out your cuts. Mark on your pumpkin the 3 places where you will make cuts. Mark a place for the downstem hole. It should be slightly higher than the center of the pumpkin. Mark a spot for the mouthpiece hole on the opposite side of the pumpkin where you’ve made a mark for the downstem hole. The mouthpiece hole should be toward the top. Think about where you are most comfortable smoking. The final mark should be a circle around the stem of the pumpkin where you will empty out the insides of the pumpkin. It needs to be wide enough so that you can effectively clean out the pumpkin, but not where it interferes with the other holes.
Seal the Smoke
Now that you’ve got your places marked, start by making your downstem hole going at a 45-degree angle toward the bottom of the pumpkin.This will keep the downstem pointing down and prevent splashback. Be sure to start small and enlarge as needed so that the downstem fits snuggly into the pumpkin. This is very important to make sure the the downstem fits well as there will not be enough suction if the downstem fits loosely.
The mouthpiece hole is pretty much straightforward. Cut a hole big enough for your mouthpiece to fit snuggly. If you don’t have a mouthpiece from a bong, then you can also use a straw or inhale directly from the pumpkin.
When you are cutting the top of the pumpkin around the stem, be sure to use a sharp blade to make a clean cut. It’s important to keep the top of the pumpkin intact, don’t hack away at it. The top of the pumpkin will need to seal the smoke in the pumpkin. Take out your downstem and mouthpiece for this next step.
You can now open up the pumpkin and to spoon out the “guts.” Be sure to get all the stringy stuff out as well to ensure you have the smoothest toking experience. Rinse the pumpkin out with water. It’s been suggested that you should use a little bit of apple cider vinegar when rinsing out your pumpkin bong to keep it fresh if you plan on using it a long time period. You can also add some water at the bottom of the pumpkin for extra toking smoothness.
Apple Cider Vinegar
This next step is totally optional, but highly encouraged. Decorate your pumpkin so that your smoke-o-lantern will be even more festive.
Now your pumpkin is ready for you to put back all the pieces and to give it a test run. Insert the downstem, the mouthpiece, and put back the top. Grind up your favorite fall marijuana strain and light ‘er up! You can show off your masterpiece to all your toking buddies as they are sure to want to give it a try.
Just like all fruits in nature, yes pumpkins are technically a fruit, it will eventually begin to decay. A bit of apple cider vinegar can only help so much to delay the process, but you will have to toss it out if mold spores or brown spots begin to develop. No worries though, the fall season is still here and you can be sure to make another pumpkin bong to celebrate Thanksgiving.
