It's Pumpkin Season!
Halloween is coming up fast, and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. Can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday that the Tomatoes were ripening on the vine and we were basking in the summer sunshine in our gardens. These days, the air is crisp, the nights are cool, and the autumn leaves are falling. It's officially sweater weather, and everywhere we look, mums and Pumpkins are adorning front porches and patios. It's such fun to decorate for fall, and to indulge in all of the wonderful goodies you can make from your bumper crop of Pumpkins!
To help you celebrate the season, we've gathered a bunch of our favorite Pumpkin ideas and recipes into this one handy email. Enjoy, and stay warm! Oh, and Daylight Savings Time officially ends on Sunday, November 5th...
Jack O'Lanterns to Wow the Kids!
The day before Halloween, we're busy cleaning out pumpkins, preparing to carve fantastical faces that will thrill the Trick-or-Treaters. But once those pumpkins are ready to be carved, we invariably find ourselves standing there helplessly, our minds blank of imaginative ideas. Sound familiar?
Luckily, there are tons of ideas online. From traditional cute or scary faces to fantastical patterns and architectural creations, you'll find tons of inspiration on our Pumpkin Carving Ideas Pinterest page. Before long you'll be pulling out your power drill and cookie cutters and impressing your neighbors with your Pumpkin-carving prowess.
Looking for healthy snacks to counter all that candy the kids will be eating on Halloween night? You'll love our Halloween Fruit & Veggies Pinterest board. We can't wait to make severed carrot fingers and honeydew bats! For a healthy Halloween night side dish, try Roasted Pumpkin Salad with Rosemary and Sage Vinaigrette.
Better Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
We all grew up roasting the pumpkin seeds we pulled out of our Jack O'Lanterns. It's a childhood ritual--cutting the top off the pumpkin, reaching in, and pulling out a delightfully cold and slimy handful of pulp and seeds. After that tactile moment, the fun-factor always began to go downhill: trying to separate the seeds from stringy pulp, rinsing them, and them roasting them, only to find that they were chewy and not all that tasty.
Luckily, we know better now how to get crisp, crunchy, delicious roasted Pumpkin seeds that make all that work worth it. The key? Boiling the Pumpkin seeds first! Preheat your oven to 400ºF. Bring several cups of heavily salted water to a boil and add the raw Pumpkin seeds. Simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain well and, in a bowl, toss the seeds with olive oil, salt, pepper and any spices you'd like to try (we love a bit of cayenne or curry.) Spread the seeds out on a lightly oiled or parchment-lined cookie sheet and roast for at least 10 minutes, checking every couple of minutes afterward until they are the perfect crispness. Yum!
The key to the best pumpkin pie
Doesn't the thought of Pumpkin pie make you long for family? It's second only to roasted turkey as a symbol of Thanksgiving's joy and familial love. We all love that feeling of spending time with the people most dear to you, stuffed to the gills with Thanksgiving dinner, but summoning the energy to add just one more delectable thing to your belly: Pumpkin pie!
The key to the best Pumpkin pie you've ever tasted is your own Homemade Pumpkin Puree. It's easy to make and oh-so-much better than canned. You can even freeze it. You can find detailed instructions on our website HERE. Use this homemade puree in your favorite Pumpkin pie recipes, or try it in a few of our favorite Pumpkin recipes, like Pumpkin Creme Caramel, Spiced Pumpkin Buttermilk Pie (we really do adore this recipe!), Velvety Pumpkin Cheesecake, and Shaylynn's Pumpkin Cake.
Want even more Pumpkin recipe ideas? Explore our Pumpkin Recipes Pinterest page.
Taken from kitchengardenseeds@kitchengardenseeds.com
Till next time this is Becky Litterer from Becky's Greenhouse Dougherty Iowa
