This allows you to carry the pumpkin and also reduces the chances of rots setting in through the stem end. Put the pumpkins in a warm, dry, well-ventilated place to cure. Place them on a wire mesh screen where air can circulate all around them and so that they do not touch each other. When the handle is dried, generally in about a week or two, they're ready for display or storage. Store them in a cool, dry place with good air circulation.
Some plants are particularly susceptible to sunscald on their trunks.
This is especially true of young trees and of most dark-barked trees such as plum, maple, cherry, mountain ash, hawthorn, and apple, regardless of age. Conifers are generally not susceptible to sunscald. Treat them now to reduce extreme fluctuations in diurnal temperatures between the shaded and sunny sides and between the sunny side of the trunk and the ambient air. Most of the damage occurs in late winter when the sun is higher in the sky but ambient and night temperatures can be very cold. This can cause some metabolism in the cells.