It’s almost Halloween, and pumpkins are starting to pop up everywhere – from your neighbour’s front window to pumpkin spice lattes. Of course, we all have fond autumnal memories of carving up pumpkins into spooky shapes, but what was once only thought of as a symbol of Halloween is increasingly growing into a gastro obsession.
Now that the sun has set on summer, satisfy your pumpkin passion with this fresh crop of fun ways to fall in love with Halloween again and discover what to do with pumpkins after to ensure you’re getting more for your money.
1. Bring the Harvest Home
Instead of limiting yourself to placing a pumpkin on the porch, why not go one step further and try spicing up your home interior by using pumpkins for decoration?
These gorgeous gourds can be found in a stylish spectrum of colours, from rich reds and dusty golds, to deep greens, pale blues, light tans, and creamy whites. There are enough colours to complement any interior. You can also try lining your staircase with seasonal squashes or by placing a selection of baby pumpkins in a large bowl to display on tables or the mantelpiece for another way to use pumpkins as autumnal décor. For an eye-catching centrepiece, hollow out a beautifully coloured pumpkin and fill it up with flowers to serve as a charming vase.
2. Pack Pumpkin onto Your Plate
One of the most common things of what to do with pumpkins after Halloween is eat them! And enjoying both the sweet and savoury sides of the autumn’s signature squash couldn’t be easier.
A good place to start is by baking pumpkin into your breads, muffins, pancakes, waffles, granola, and even your French toast. You can also try adding some pumpkin puree to a bowl of oatmeal, a cup of soup, yoghurt, or a post-workout smoothie.
We can certainly recommend roasting pieces of pumpkin to mix with pasta, pile on pizza, or serve as a savoury side. And don’t forget about the seeds—sprinkle some over salads, mix into granola, or just enjoy them by the handful.
What Are Three Things You Can Make to Eat from Pumpkins?
In addition to our suggestions above, the top three things you can make to eat using pumpkins are:
- Pumpkin soup – simply chop into chunks and roast before blending with cooked garlic, onion and vegetable stock for a simple and easy-to-make pumpkin soup.
- Vegan pumpkin cupcakes – check out the recipe on our blog.
- Pumpkin bread – the days of banana bread are behind us! You’ll need to create a pumpkin puree when using your pumpkin in baking. You can find plenty of pumpkin bread recipes online.
Get some inspiration and start introducing pumpkin flavours to your dishes with our easy pumpkin spice recipes:
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3. Enjoy the Health Benefits of Pumpkins
Due to the popularity of sugary pumpkin pie, the autumn squash has received an undeserved reputation for being rather unhealthy. But don’t let its reputation put you off – pumpkin is actually one of the most nutritious fruits around. (And yes, you read that right…pumpkin is a fruit!).
Pumpkins are packed full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, making it a seasonal superfood with plenty of powerful health benefits. The beta-carotene in pumpkins converts to vitamin A in our bodies, plus the vitamin C content in pumpkins can boost your immunity, as vitamin C contributes to the normal function of the immune system. There are also many health benefits of pumpkin seeds too, as they’re a great source of protein, magnesium, unsaturated fats and iron to name just a few! Simply add pumpkin seeds to your salads and soup or eat on their own.
4. Scare Up Some Halloween Fun with Your Kids
Just the very sight of a pumpkin can be all it takes to get kids excited about Halloween. But although pumpkin carving can be a fun family activity, there are lots of other ways that the kids can have fun with pumpkins this Halloween.
A great way to gets kids in the mood for Halloween is to visit a pumpkin patch to pick your own pumpkins! Once you’ve got them home, there’s so many things you can do with your pumpkins, from traditional carving to decorating them. If your kids love to get creative, help them to personalise and decorate their pumpkins with paint, glitter, stencils, markers and fabric. Painted pumpkins and glitter pumpkins are a great activity for younger children to enjoy at Halloween, especially when pumpkin carving requires sharper tools and strength!
For even more fun, why not try some pumpkin bowling? Simply line up six rolls of paper towels as the bowling pins, then have your kids use small pumpkins as festive bowling balls.
If you’re unsure of what to do with your pumpkins, try these autumnal ideas to make the most of Halloween and do more with your pumpkins this season.
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