The leaves are changing, the weather is getting cooler now. Have you ever planned a visit to the farmer’s market with your family? There you will find plenty of fresh produce, even you can experience picking pumpkins if lucky. You will find adorable gourds in all shapes and sizes with the least budget. You can create valuable memories with your loved ones by picking pumpkins. But, do you know how to create as much fun with pumpkins besides traditional carving or painting? We don’t deny that traditional options are still great. But we think you deserve more interesting alternatives to get the most fun out of pumpkins.
Cook Pumpkin Pulp
Source: Pexels Karolina Grabowska
Pumpkin is a nutritious vegetable that is low in calories but high in vitamins and minerals. Its flesh, seeds, leaves, and tender vines are edible. You can use pumpkin pulp as a healthy diet in many different ways, including desserts, soup, salads, juice, porridge, and bread.
Pumpkin offers many amazing health benefits. It is one of the most well-known sources for beta carotene, which is a powerful antioxidant. This nutrient can be converted by the body into vitamin A. This vibrant orange vegetable is rich in vitamin C, E, and beta carotene. Pumpkin is the ideal food for people with diabetes and eye disease caused by age.
Here are some delicious pumpkin recipes you can try:
- Pumpkin pie
- Pumpkin soup
- Pumpkin bread
- Fried pumpkin slices
- Roasted or steamed pumpkin bowls
Uncut healthy pumpkins can be stored in dark, cool indoors for up to 3 months. But carved pumpkins can only last 5-7 days.
Eat Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds contain magnesium, zinc, protein, healthy fats, vitamin E, and other antioxidants. Including pumpkin seeds in your daily food can help strengthen your immune system and bone density, and improve digestion and sleep quality. Pumpkin seeds are also beneficial for male fertility, prostate, and urinary health.
You can roast and unshell the pumpkin seeds. Or just unshell the raw seeds. There are many ways to flavor pumpkin seeds. We challenge you to make pumpkin seeds in your favorite flavor.
Eating a handful is enough every day. Mix them with your smoothie, oatmeal, or salad. Also, you can chew the seeds directly.
Decorate with Pumpkins
Source: Pexels Matthias Cooper
A perfect pumpkin might not require any special attention at all. A bale of straw, a pumpkin decoration, or a set of pumpkins can be placed beside it. Your pumpkin will look great on your porch or in your yard.
Place some adorable pumpkins on the windowsill, mantel, or floating bookshelf. It will add another fall feeling to the space.
Play with Pumpkins
Source: Pexels Daisy Anderson
Everyone loves carving pumpkins and getting to play with the delicious inside. Hold a pumpkin party with your family and friends before Halloween.
Grab your carving tools and get to work. Bonus points if your pumpkins are turned into a Jack-o’-lantern.
Painting or waxing your pumpkin can be a great option if you don’t want to deal with the mess. We can’t guarantee that you will love it, but we can promise the kids will. Use glow-in-the-dark paint to create the illusion you carved the pumpkin!
Ask your guests to leave seeds for you. You can wash, dry and roast the seeds. Now, you get a bag of snacks.
Feed Animals with Pumpkins
Source: Unsplash Andrea Lightfoot
Don’t know how to deal with the carved pumpkin leftovers? You can feed the raw pumpkin to the animals you are raising, such as rabbits, ducks, chickens, pigs, and birds. These animals eat both raw and cooked pumpkin flesh and seeds.
Make a Bird Feeder with Pumpkin
This is a great way to keep your pumpkin decorations around longer and serve a larger purpose. You can either cut the pumpkin in half or put a net around it. Then, string the strings through the holes. Attach the string to the pumpkin and then add bird food. You now have pumpkin decorations in your yard. Plus, you can make bird friends!
Make Pumpkin Planter for Fresh Flowers
There are few things better than fresh flowers and fall decorations. This is what you get when you buy the pumpkin planter. Take the top off and clean it. Then, put fresh flowers in.
Compost Pumpkins
Besides feeding birds and other animals, the carved jack-o-lantern and pumpkin peel leftovers can be decomposed. They can easily start to break down in your compost pile as they are cut vegetables. Don’t forget to remove seeds if you don’t want the seeds to sprout in the pile.
Plant Pumpkins for Vegetables
Dried raw pumpkin seeds can be planted for the next year. You can also plant pumpkin seeds if you love to eat young, tender pumpkin leaves, flowers, and vines. You can find a lot of delicious pumpkins leaves recipes online.
