You’ve spent all month preparing for one of your favorite days of the year- celebrating fall in style with decorative orange wreaths, spooky spider webs hanging from the door, and the jar of candy corn that’s been sitting on your desk untouched since the day you bought it. And, of course, the pumpkin that you and your friends spent hours searching for- finally finding the firmest, plumpest, roundest pumpkin on the lot and proudly lugging it home.
But now the big day has passed, and you’re left with buckets of candy, sore feet from the heels you wore last night with your costume, and your beloved pumpkin, which is already beginning to soften and show traces of its inevitable deterioration.
So, what now?
Perhaps to your surprise, there are a number of things you can do with your aging pumpkin to avoid letting it rot in your room, or just simply throwing it away. Thus, here is a list of the top five things to do with your pumpkin after Halloween!
First step: scoop out the messy parts inside the pumpkin to create a puree.
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Yep, you read that right. This recipe is a little more complex, but click here for a recipe that blends your two favorites- a delicious Starbucks pumpkin spice latte, and your grandmother’s homemade pumpkin pie.
Perfectly Pumpkin Pretty
Pumpkins actually carry within them loads of goodness- they carry alpha-hydroxy acids (an awesome exfoliator), antioxidants, and vitamins A and C. In other words, they’re the perfect ingredient for your face! For this DIY exfoliator, you’ll need our puree from earlier, and a small amount of unsweetened yogurt and oats. Mix together three tablespoons of your pumpkin puree with two tablespoons of your plain yogurt. Add in two tablespoons of oats and mix thoroughly. Apply the concoction to your face- after two minutes, rub the mixture in a circular motion to get the full exfoliant effects. Rinse thoroughly and pat dry. Enjoy a clean face, and the smell of pumpkin all day!
Pumpkin Seed Treats
Keep aside the seeds from the pumpkin insides you removed earlier. Separate and clean the seeds from the mush, and lay them in a baking sheet. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cover them with oil, and either salt or brown sugar depending on if you’re interested in sweet or salty. Forty five minutes later, enjoy a healthy and yummy snack!
Feed the Animals
Decomposing pumpkin chunks make a perfect snack for deer, and the seeds can be given to birds for a tasty treat!
Pumpkin Butter
Make your morning toast festive with this yummy recipe. Simply add two cups of puree, one cup of brown sugar, and a cup of water to a saucepan to boil. Add cinnamon and nutmeg to taste. After it boils, allow it to simmer for 25 minutes. Store it in a jar in the fridge and slather on your toast for a morning treat!
So, this year, before you just toss away your beloved pumpkin, consider some fun alternatives!