For the love of Pumpkins - Things to Make and Do

Autumn is such a magical time of year. The leaves begin to change into a melody of golden orange and red hues, the weather cools, and the days grow shorter. There are so many things that I love about this magical time of year, one of the biggest being PUMPKINS!

Photo credit: Iguanasan

Pumpkins really are a versatile vegetable. There are so many ways to put these great gourds to good use.

Puree the Pumpkin

When using pumpkins for recipes, look for smaller pumpkins. Varieties like pie pumpkins or sugar pumpkins work well. Start by cutting your pumpkin down the middle. Scoop out the innards and save those for later. Place your pumpkin cut-side down in a baking dish with about a cup or so of water and bake for about 90 minutes. The flesh should be tender and the skin should come off easily. Then, simply scoop out the flesh and puree in a food processor. Once you have your pumpkin puree, you can use it in all sorts of yummy recipes. The possibilities are endless. Extra puree can be stored in the freezer for several months. It will come in handy again when Thanksgiving comes around.

Yummy Pumpkin Smoothie

½ cup fresh pumpkin puree

½ frozen banana

¾ cup vanilla yogurt

1 tbsp fresh local honey

½ tsp pumpkin pie spice

¼ tsp pure maple syrup

1 cup crushed ice

Place all the ingredients in a blender and puree until smooth. Makes 2 servings.

Savor the Seeds

Separate the seeds from the pulp. Its an annoying step that must be done. A trick that makes this process a little easier is to place them bowl of water. Most of the seeds will float to the top, while the rest you'll need to separate by hand. Toss the pulp in to your compost pile and rinse the seeds and pat dry between two layers of clean cloth kitchen towels. Preheat oven to 250°. Spread pumpkin seeds in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet, season (recipes below), and bake for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until dry and toasted. Remove seeds from oven, allow to cool and enjoy!

The following recipes are based on a 2 cup output of seeds. Adjust seasonings accordingly if you have more or less seeds from your particular pumpkins.

Basic Salt & Pepper Seeds

½ tsp salt (I prefer pink Himalayan sea salt)

½ tsp cracked black pepper

1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Sugar & Spice Seeds

4 tsp canola oil

1 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp ground cinnamon

Spicy Seeds

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 tsp salt

1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce

½ Tbsp brown sugar

2-4 drops hot sauce

Cheesy Seeds

1 ½ Tbsp melted butter (or olive oil

¼ cup Parmesan cheese

           1 tsp coarsely ground black pepper

Be creative! Mix up flavors you enjoy and make your own!

Serve the Soup/Stew
As you prepare your hearty fall soups and stew recipes, consider using a hollowed pumpkin as a serving bowl. Simply prepare pumpkin as you would for carving a jack-o-lantern and pour for an easy, organic way to serve your meal.



Pumpkin Planters
Pumpkin planters make great fall decorations. You can make one by preparing a large pumpkin as you would for a jack-o-lantern, cut a drainage hole in the bottom and slip in a container plant of your choice. Ensure that it is a snug fit and the plants container is not showing. If the container sits too low in the pumpkin, add some gravel or dirt to raise the height of the plant.


Jack-0-lanterns
And last but most definitely not least, the ever traditional jack-o-lanterns. This is the one I carved this year. I'm so pleased with how it turned out. 

What is your favorite way to use pumpkins? Do you have a yummy pumpkin recipe to share? Let us know in the comments!  

Shared with our friends at The Homestead Blog Hop

Thanks for stopping by and please keep in touch!

Find Colored Egg Homestead on Facebook: here

Follow me on Pinterest : here

Subscribe to this blog via E-mail: here