What Inspires Me? Pumpkin Time!
It’s Pumpkin Time!
Fall is in the air and pumpkins are everywhere. We took the grands to a pumpkin patch to kick off the season. There must have been 30 varieties of squash—every shape, size, texture…some super gnarly, warty, stripey…some jack-o-lantern ready.
What inspires me most about pumpkins? Pumpkins are waterproof!
Grands, Parents, Teachers! This is a great, fun, messy kid activity:
Spread the picnic table or driveway with newspapers. Cut off the top of the pumpkin. Give the kids spoons and let them scoop all the gunk out of the center of the pumpkin.
It doesn’t matter how good a job they do.
It doesn’t matter if they get all the gunk out of the insides.
The only part of scooping out a pumpkin that matters is if they dig through the shell. Then it won’t hold water. But….it will still be good for baking-stewing-steaming…freezing. So it’s a win-win!
Let them have at it. Yes! Digging it all out will definitely be a hands-on job.
What’s most inspiring! All the things you can do with pumpkin after its hollowed out—beside carving them into jack-o-lanterns.
Pumpkin Vases: Once you’ve scooped out the insides of a pumpkin fill it with water and cut flowers. Or, fill the pumpkin with dirt and plant it!
Succulents are delightful!
Fall pansies or a mum are adorable too.
No need to worry about leakage, because the pumpkin shell is waterproof. But do put a dish beneath your pumpkin for 2 reasons:
Because the moist pumpkin might leave a water mark on wood.
Because after a time the pumpkin will begin to rot and liquify—melt essentially.
The pumpkin vase will last at least 3 weeks.
Afterwards, toss the pumpkin vase, flowers and all, in the compost bin.
If you used a plant, replant it in the dirt or another container.
Pumpkin Curry or Stew Pot:
Use the hollowed out pumpkin as a pot to cook pumpkin curry or soup.
Put the hollowed out pumpkin on a baking sheet.
Fill it with the ingredients in your favorite recipe. Here’s my go-to Pumpkin Curry Recipe
Cover your pumpkin pot with its cute pumpkin stem top and cook as directed.
Serve right in the pumpkin pot!
The best part is that the pot is edible! Yes, digging out bites of the cooked pumpkin shell as you nibble is allowed. Look Ma! I ate the whole thing)
AAARGH! Help! The kiddos get so carried away carving out the inside of the pumpkin and bust through the shell?????
Plan B: cook the pumpkin and use it to make pumpkin pie, or mashed pumpkin with butter, or butter, brown sugar, salt and pepper, or microwave the pumpkin in a covered bowl. Or peel and chop the pumpkin into pieces, pop them into a freezable container and freeze to deal with later.
And don’t forget the Seeds!
Harvesting those seeds is gooey fun, too. Wash the seeds, soak them in salt water, season them and bake them.
Warning: pumpkin seeds are a healthy treat!
