Ah, pumpkins... The Santa Clause of Autumn – the star of the show. There are tonnes of things you can do with them too, not just the basics (we’re looking at you Insta-baddies, posing with pumpkins in a muddy field...)
So, you’ve been pumpkin picking, the essential and fail-safe Autumn activity (if you haven’t been to pick pumpkins already this month, what are you, like, living under a rock?). And now you’re a bit stuck – turns out, impulsively buying three pumpkins you don’t need probably wasn’t the best decision.
If you can’t get to a pumpkin patch, the supermarket ones do the same job – and they’re probably a bit cheaper too!
Now, the first thing that probably came to mind was ‘carve them, obviously’ – BUT this doesn’t have to be the case.
Do you hate food waste, the smell of pumpkin innards or don’t fancy having a rotting squash on your front step? We’ve got you well-and-truly sorted with these alternatives.
It’s time for you to battle your friends, family or significant other to cook the best pumpkin dish. Don’t go basic (yep, we're talking about pumpkin pies), get creative – use the skin and seeds to create something really different.
Wanna make it even more difficult? Add some rules like you must use the whole pumpkin (guts ‘n’ all), it has to be a savoury/sweet recipe, you can only use ingredients you have in the house already (and the list really does go on...)
Painting your pumpkins is a great way to use them without ruining their insides – AKA you could still have a cooking competition after washing the paint off.
Again, you can make it more challenging – everyone must paint the same thing, there’s a theme of a Halloween movie or TV show, you have to paint someone else at the table. The opportunities are endless.
Of course, with these competitions there can be a prize and a forfeit. Our favourites are the loser has to clean up all the mess, winner chooses which movie you watch, and loser has to eat their own (worst) pumpkin creation – for the cooking competition, of course.
If you just can’t let go of your annual pumpkin carving, there’s still a way to make the most of it... Once you’ve truly sliced and diced your pumpkin, take some pics (share on Insta – obvs) and keep it for just a few days – basically so it’s not rotted like pumpkin snot. Then you can chop it up into chunks and share it with wildlife (foxes, badgers and squirrels will dig right in).
And, if you feel like getting a bit more creative, put the seeds to the side when you’re carving, give them a dry in the oven and chuck them in the bird feeder – bish, bash, bosh.
But if you are a bit too late and the pumpkin seems a little too far gone, chuck it on the composter - the bugs will love it.
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