Listening to NPR in my car, I did not have a chance to hear the answer to" "what vegetable was originally used as a jack o'lantern?" So I had to look it up. Turns out it is a turnip and comes from the Legend of Stingy Jack.
But is it really a turnip or a rutabega? According to my research, the "turnip" in the legend refers to a "swede" which is a yellow turnip, or rutabega.
I made my own Stingy Jack of the lantern-type lantern from a turnip. Don't you think it's cute? The tale has Jack wandering the earth because he couldn't get into heaven or hell, and the Irish made their lanterns to keep Stingy Jack away. I am sure they worked, because a turnip lantern is stink-ee! So next year, make a bunch of lanterns from turnips instead of pumpkins and it will keep the trick-or-treaters away. A new tradition.
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