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Home › Articles › Holiday: Halloween › Pumpkins Beyond Halloween

Pumpkins Beyond Halloween

Not Just for Jack-o-lanterns Anymore!

By Donna Smith

Pages:  1  2  

Toast Those Pumpkin Seeds!
Toasted pumpkin seeds make wonderful snacks the whole family will enjoy. After you remove the seeds from your pumpkin, rinse them well and then dry by laying them on a kitchen towel and blotting them with another towel. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F. Put the cleaned and dried seeds on a cookie sheet. Drizzle about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over seeds and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Spread the seeds into a single layer and bake, stirring occasionally, about one hour. Cool, then enjoy!

Are you thinking you might give pumpkin a try, but you're not sure if your kids will eat it? The sweet, creamy texture of pumpkin may appeal to even the pickiest eater. Make the meal fun by serving it out of the hollowed out pumpkin shell. Mini-pumpkins also make wonderful serving dishes. If you make it fun, kids will eat it! Pumpkins are also inexpensive, which is another great reason to give one a try.

Pumpkin Carving Tips

  • Select a pumpkin that has a nice shape and that does not have nicks or bruises.
  • Cover your work area with a few layers of newspapers for easy clean up.
  • When cutting around the pumpkin stem, slant the knife inward so when you put the "lid" back on, it will not fall into the pumpkin.
  • Leave at least a 1-inch wall on the pumpkin after scooping out the flesh and seeds.
  • For simple faces, draw directly on the pumpkin with a marker, then cut along the lines with a sharp knife.
  • For more intricate patterns, draw the design on a sheet of white paper. Mark the design on the pumpkin by pushing toothpicks along your drawn pattern into the pumpkin. Cut along the toothpick marks.
  • The bottom of the pumpkin can be removed instead of cutting around the stem on top. Simply place the candle on a small plate and set the pumpkin on top.
  • If you are not comfortable using a candle, a small flashlight can be used.
  • Rub the cut areas of the pumpkin with a layer of petroleum jelly or vegetable oil. This will keep the pumpkin from drying out as quickly.


Pages:  1  2  

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Re: Pumpkins Beyond Halloween by britches118@aol.com on 11/09/2009 11:38PM

I just want to mention that you can still use the carving pumpkin that you get for jack-o-lanterns, I have had good results when taking a paper towel and spreading honey on the inside of the pumpkin when you put it in the oven. The heat as you know rises, therefore rising to the inside of the pumpkin and baking the honey into the pumpkin. making it as sweet as a sugar pumpkin. I suggest that you use pure honey so you do not add paservitives to your end result. Just an idea for those who do not know what to do with your jack-o-lantern or get it in before the neighborhood teen takes and smashes it all over the street. The econony is struggling to by food that are good for you. Pumpkins can be used in many ways, pumpkin seeds yummy, pumpkin bread, and doughnuts caked and cookies, like the artical mentions in soups. Give it a try make good on the money you paid for the pumpkin eat it for the winter. a 8 to 10 pound pumpkin can generate 8 to 10 cups of pumpkin mush to use as the weather gets cooler. Please enjoy. Thank you for reading my post I hope it was helpful to you Dee

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