Aren’t these creepy?? I call them pickled fingers, but  they can sure add some spook to your next Halloween party. Inspired by a creepy pickled head project from  Haunt your own house Halloween crafts, by allyou.com. I made these in similar fashion with a few items I had around the house. Here you go on how to make pickled fingers, if you can pare an apple.. you half way there!!

Creep out your friends by making these Fingers in a Jar

Don’t be scared. They’re really just apples….

Or are they…. bwahahaha

Supplies You will need to make shrunken apple pickled fingers:

• Large apples (1-1/2 to 2 apples per jar)
• Larger empty jars with lids (I used pickle jars)
• White vinegar
• Red or black food color
• Q-tips
• Potato peeler
• Paring knife
• Masking tape
• Craft paint in preferred color ( I used black)

Step 1)  Peel, Slice and Core

 Peel the apples

 Slice apples in half

 Core the apples

Step 2) Shaping the fingers

Use a paring knife to cut finger shapes into the outer side of the apple halves. Start by using your own hand as reference to get the general shape. Then, make sure to bring the end of the fingers to a slight point, and create divots in the fingers to make it look gnarly and even crooked. Be as gentle as you can, but these do not have to be perfect. I had several fingers and thumbs break off and they still ended up looking fine once it was completed.

Step 3) Trimming down the palm

Now that the outer side is finished, you will need to trim down the inner side of the apple, or the palm. Using you paring knife, carefully pare down the palm side of your apple hand. Do it just enough to take the bulk out of the apple.      

 

Step 4) Polishing the nails

To make the fingers appear to have polished finger nails, dab a little food coloring onto a Q-tip and very gently dab the Q-tip onto the nail area of the apple until you think it looks like a painted finger nail.

Step 5) Putting the hands into the jars

Carefully drop the hands, one by one, into the jar. You may have to squeeze them a bit to get them inside. Try to keep them as intact as possible, but a few may break, and that is okay. Once you have done that, fill the jar with vinegar.

Step 6) For the Lids

A quick way to decorate the jar lid is to take some masking tape and cover the lid in strips. I ripped some of the strips and criss-crossed them to give it a “piecey” look. Then I rubbed a little craft paint over the tape with a paper towel until it was dark enough that it didn’t look like masking tape anymore.

To empty and dispose of these, you can pour the vinegar right down the kitchen drain

to freshen your kitchen pipes or down your garbage disposer if you have one.

The apple and vinegar mixture makes a great natural deodorizer.

These are definitely scary, but certainly a conversation piece.

Try making pickled fingers for your next Halloween Bash!

For more CHEAP and CREEPY Halloween Ideas check out this post from Squidoo

 Thank you for stopping by!!

More fun fall and party ideas with apples or for teens

• Party apple bar with an APPLE SLICING STATION
• Festive fall ideas to celebrate apple season
• How to write on apples with fun fall messages of your own
• Graffiti Pumpkin Patch idea for teens