If you’ve grown your own, or if you are selecting from home-grown pumpkins and wish to store them, when cutting them off the plant, keep a piece of plant’s stem on the pumpkin stalk. The stem will dry and seal in the goodness; a cut stalk may allow organisms into the pumpkin which will then spoil. Rub off any soil that remains on the pumpkin, but don’t wash before storing. Store somewhere cool and dry, where vermin can’t get to it. Before preparing, give your stored pumpkin a good scrub with a vegetable brush to remove dirt and any bloom as many varieties have edible skins. I’ve successfully stored my home-grown pumpkins this way through to the spring.