Photo: Megan White
Those cheap, festive, farm-fresh pumpkins are too irresistible to pass up during the spooky season. Halloween has come and gone, though, and now you are left with an excessive amount of carved pumpkins and Halloween candy. Before you throw your masterpiece away, here are eight do-it-yourself ways to extend your pumpkin’s life and get you in the holiday mood:
1. Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
When carving out your pumpkin, hopefully you put those pumpkin seeds aside. To make roasted pumpkin seeds, you need three very simple ingredients: pumpkin seeds, butter and salt. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.Then mix your pumpkin seeds with two teaspoons of melted butter and a pinch of salt. Roast on a cookie sheet for 45 minutes or until golden, stirring occasionally. Now you have a new, quick holiday snack!
2. Mashed Pumpkin
Pumpkin is actually considered a fruit! A pumpkin can very easily be made into a delicious, easy soup with just four steps. First, preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Secondly, cut the pumpkin in half, removing the spongey inside and seeds. Roast the pumpkin with the cut side down for an hour. After the pumpkin cools, it can then be mashed or puréed after scooping the flesh from the skin. Soups, stock and pumpkin itself can also all be frozen throughout the winter!
3. Pumpkin Facial
Stressed after midterms? Pumpkins can be made into a reviving facial. A facial mask can be created with honey, cooled pumpkin purée and coconut or whole milk. This can be an easy way of avoiding the costs of store-bought facial masks.
4. Pumpkin Spice Latte
Believe it or not, a pumpkin can make a pretty great homemade pumpkin spice latte. According to Faith Durand from Kitchn.com, you should place some puréed pumpkin, pumpkin spice and black pepper in a sauce pan, stirring continuously for two minutes. Second, add sugar and stir until the mixture looks like thick molasses. Then, warm some milk and vanilla, and blend the two mixtures together. Add espresso to the pumpkin mix, and finish with whipped cream and a dash of cinnamon.
5. Gingerbread House
With Christmas around the corner, you will want to start thinking of materials you need to build a gingerbread house. Why not use a material you already have, such as a pumpkin? The pumpkin can be repainted in any color you like, and tinsel and candy can still be attached. Additionally, your pumpkin can be turned into a small fairy house for your garden. What better fairy abode than a decorated pumpkin palace?
6. Home Décor
Use pumpkins as décor throughout the home even if Halloween has passed, as it is still fall! Pumpkins can be used as centerpieces with flowers or other gourds inside them. Use your pumpkin as a planter and plant various holiday flowers inside them. The pumpkins could even be stacked to create a pumpkin snowman for the winter holidays.
7. Compost
Instead of throwing your pumpkin in the trash for it to sit in the landfill, consider composting your pumpkin. With a pre-existing compost pile, toss small cut-up pieces of the pumpkin into the pile, then use the rich fertilizer for next year’s garden. This is an awesome way to have a positive environmental impact during the holiday season.
8. Pumpkin Volcano
If you are looking for a dramatic science experiment to do with your unwanted pumpkin, why not make a volcano? You need a pumpkin, baking soda, vinegar, food coloring and dish soap. First, make sure that all of the insides of the pumpkin have been removed. Next, pour a fourth of a cup of baking soda into the bottom of the pumpkin, and add a dash of dish soap. Then, pour in some food coloring and vinegar and your pumpkin will explode in no time!
There are so many uses for your pumpkin other than just throwing it away. Junior Kyla Strickler keeps her pumpkin seeds to plant for future years. Sophomore Kaitlyn Edinger has seen pumpkins catapulted after Halloween! Create a catapulting contest with your friends to add to the fun. Pumpkins can even be left in the yard for animals to eat, as sophomore Juliana Potts’ family does. Carved or painted, spooky or silly, put your old Halloween pumpkin to good use.
