What to do with leftover pumpkins?

Did you decorate your home with pumpkins this Fall? Did you carve designs in pumpkins with the kids? What do you do with your pumpkins after the season is over? Here are some ideas of different things you can do with the pumpkins you have carved or simply placed around for decoration.

I like to decorate around my house with groupings of pumpkins and squash to add a touch of Fall to different areas of my yard. The kids also like to carve some designs into their pumpkins and place on the front steps. You've seen all the fun designs from characters, to scenery images, to different faces, and everything in between. We simply let them draw a face on their pumpkin and use the carving knife and carve their designs. Some really fun faces are the end result and they are so proud!

After Halloween, our carved pumpkins are looking pretty sad. I am one that thinks of Thanksgiving as a Fall holiday, so I'm not one to put out Christmas decor until after, but our carved pumpkins simply don't last that long.

Here are some ideas to do with your CARVED PUMPKINS:

-Feed the wildlife. A pumpkin that you would otherwise throw away, could be a treat for animals in nature. Depending where you live, left over pumpkins (carved or not, and left over seeds) can be a perfect snack for deer and birds. If you have chickens, you can also toss the pumpkins to them. Simply cut the pumpkin shell into several pieces and toss them out away from your house for deer or birds to nibble on. You might also place unwanted pumpkin seeds in a bird feeder and hang from a tree for the birds to enjoy. Be sure to not feed any moldy pumpkins.
                -You could also make the pumpkin shell be the bird feeder itself by cutting it in half and                      filling with bird seed.

-Add to your compost pile. Cut the pumpkin up into several pieces and place in your compost pile to breakdown. Don't have a compost pile? Simply cut the pumpkin in small pieces and scatter it in your garden. It will breakdown and add nutrients to the soil.

If you don't have any carved pumpkins at your home, you might be looking for ideas to do something your uncarved pumpkins. There are a variety of food options you can do. Do not use your carved pumpkin for food choices. After a pumpkin is carved and sitting out, it is unsafe to eat.

The following are ideas for UNCARVED PUMPKINS:

-Make a pumpkin planter. Great use for a carved or uncarved pumpkin. Stop by the garden shop and pick up some flowers. Maybe some pansies, a mum, or ornamental kale (cool crop flowers here in Indiana).You can cut the top off your pumpkin and plant flowers in the top to make a planter. Later you can plant the whole pumpkin in the ground. The pumpkin will break down, and your flowers will continue to grow in fertilized soil.

-Make pumpkin puree. Pumpkin puree is super easy to do and a great way to use the fleshy insides of the pumpkin. Scoop out all the seeds and guts and set them aside for another use. Cut your pumpkin in half and place it upside down in a baking dish with about a cup of water. Bake the pumpkin for about an hour or until the fleshy insides are tender. Scoop out the tender flesh and puree it in a food processor. You will now have pumpkin puree for all your favorite pumpkin recipes. You can also store it in the freezer for several months.

-Roasted pumpkin seeds. What a great way to use the seeds of the pumpkin by roasting them. There are so many recipes and you can season them to your liking.

-Dry the pumpkin seeds and save for next year. You might want to try growing your own pumpkins next season. Clean the pumpkin seeds off and let them dry. Place them in a storage container or bag and plan them next year in your garden and grow your own pumpkins.

-Have some fun with your pumpkins! If you don't particularly want to do anything else with your pumpkins, why not have some fun with it! Have you heard of pumpkin chuckin' with a catapult? Make your own catapult or sling shot, and see how far your pumpkin will fly through the air. Or simply see how far you can throw the pumpkin.

What will you decide to do with your left over pumpkins? Hope you can enjoy one or a few of these options instead of just letting them rot away.

-

How to tell when pumpkins are ready to pick?

With our Summer days nearly close to over, its time to start thinking about the months ahead. The Fall season brings some of the most beautiful colors in nature. Colors in the changing of the leaves, mums, Indian corn, gourds, and PUMPKINS.

Around the beginning of September, the feeling of Fall is in the air and people are ready to start decorating their homes for the season. Pumpkins our our biggest crop we grow and one of our favorite. We love the Fall season and providing all the beautiful items for our customers to decorate with. We sell in bulk to local businesses and to customers at the farmers market and our Fall Harvest Days event.

Some grow pumpkins in their own garden. So when are pumpkins ready to pick?

Color - A good indicator is they have turned orange by this time of year. But also some pumpkins are ripe and ready to pick when they are still green, so be sure to check the other areas to see if they are ripe.

Tap the pumpkin - By taping the pumpkin or giving it a thump if it sounds hollow inside, the pumpkin is ready to pick.

Skin - When the pumpkin is ripe, the skin or outer core becomes hard.

Stem - You want the stem closest to the pumpkin becomes hard, the pumpkin is ready to pick.

Vine Leaves - The pumpkin vine leaves will start to dry and become crispy. The vine will die down when the pumpkins are ready to pick.

A few picking tips to remember:

Use a sharp knife or pruners when cutting the stem of the pumpkin.

Leave a long stem when cutting the pumpkin, this will slow down the rotting process.

Disinfect the pumpkin with diluted bleach to kill any bacteria on the outer core of the pumpkin that could cause it to start rotting early.

Picking pumpkins at cooler temperatures and displaying in shaded areas can also help slow down the rotting process by keeping out of direct sun and heat.

Pumpkins are beautiful decor pieces, a fun tradition to carve for Halloween, and great for all those favorite pumpkin food items everyone loves this time of year.

Enjoy your pumpkins and Fall!

Beauty in October Color

Now that we are well into October....how has the month been treating you? 

Here in Indiana, we sure entered it on a cold note, but it's warmed back up a little and we have had some beautiful days! The leaves have had amazing fall color and are lasting a while. The sunsets have also been breathtaking. 

I love the quote above! I sure do love the month of October! 

For so many reasons well beyond the obvious pumpkin spice drinks and favorite cozy hoodies, 

Some of mine are...

Harvest - We grow pumpkins along with produce so we are very busy filling orders for pumpkins and hosting Fall Harvest Days where we sell our fall pumpkin harvest and other fall decor. I also have a great opportunity to help my dad and brother in the field and enjoy it so much! Harvest brings a sense of fulfillment. Pride. Accomplishment. (I will be sharing about harvest in another post)

Life slowing down (some) - We sure do love growing produce, pumpkins, and helping in the field!! On another level it is sort of nice to look forward to life slowing down a little. A short break. Time to get some needed projects done. Unwind some. Plan the next season.

Completion - It's like everything comes together in the Fall. It seems like the winter is hustle and bustle with the holidays before the new year. The Fall/October is time to wrap things up. Feeling a sense of completion as the season winds down and things are getting done. Maybe the outdoor to do list. For us, our pumpkin season is ending, out produce season is almost over, we will only be mowing the yard a few more times, etc. We sure do love to be outside and doing those things from April-November, but there is also a sense of joy that the busy season is almost complete.

Seeing God's beauty in the changing of the seasons - Everywhere I turn I see a beautiful picture! I am sharing some of them with you here in this post. 

The following photos are some of October through my eyes...enjoy!!

I also was able to make it to the Covered Bridge Festival this year down in Southern Indiana and captured some photos there as well.

Loved all the color in this vendor's booth!

As the seasons change......

Written for Rural Housewives of America

Seasons come and go so fast it seems. It is important to capture moments as much as you can. This is one of my favorite photos of summer! The boys throwing dirt clumps off back of grain truck while we were irrigating the sweet corn. This photo was from the summer of 2013 actually, but I always look back on it and love it. It reminds me of the blessings I have in the life we live and love. It reminds me of my childhood and how my boys are having fun in the atmosphere they're in, the same that my brother and I also did. 

Although summer has came to an end and we are now into fall we often look back at past seasons and think about all the fun times we've had. Like the photo above, being from a previous year, but I still remember how much fun the boys were having, all while we were accomplishing something important in the garden. As the seasons change, I find myself looking forward to things to come. I love summer, but I really love the fall season. 

Cozy sweaters. Favorite hoodies.

 Pumpkin drinks from our favorite places.

 Fall decorating. Pumpkin patches. 

Riding in the buddy seat. Bountiful harvest.

 As the seasons change, a sense of gratification comes with the season that passed. Look back and see those images and memories you've captured. They'll remind you of some of your funnest moments. 

We are winding down the farmers market season. 

Summer produce in the garden is about done. 

Fall produce is taking off. 

We can look back at all the fun memories we made during the season before.
We can look back and see what we all we have accomplished.

As we enter into fall, it brings pumpkins and harvest. For my family, this is what fall is all about. Much of our September and October is centered around pumpkins.

Pumpkins at the farmers market. 

Pumpkins for wholesale to local businesses.  

Pumpkin sales at our event Fall Harvest Days. 

                                 

We love fall and pumpkins. We are sure to capture photos of these days to help remember our favorite times. As the seasons change, we reminisce about the past seasons, but look forward to the good times the new season brings.