Pumpkin: Three things to do with your pumpkin after Halloween
"I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion." - Henry David Thoreau
Why Pumpkins at Halloween?
Halloween is a very American tradition, with growing popularity back in Europe. Using pumpkins as jack o lanterns, however, actually comes from Ireland! Carving vegetables as lanterns is an ancient Irish tradition and when millions emigrated to the United States they took lantern carving with them. This coupled with Halloween coinciding with a celebration of the end of the harvest, meant that pumpkins were in plentiful supply to carve!
How long does a carved pumpkin last?
Uncarved pumpkins will normally last several months, but once you made that spooky little monster from it, you will only have around a few days to use it before it will be time to throw it away. The trick is to bring it in and carve it up immediately after Halloween to ensure you get the most for your money!
How do you carve pumpkins to get the most flesh?
We’ve found the best way to get the most from your pumpkin is to do the following:
When you cut the top off before carving, either cut as small a circle as you can OR peel the skin away from the edges and trim the lid and keep the good flesh.
When you scoop out the seeds, keep them in the fridge until your ready to use them in our roasted pumpkin seed and cashew nut mix. You will need to peel the seeds from the sticky membrane and then wash them under cold water before using.
Once you have carved your pumpkin and popped your candle in, you will be left with some blackened areas where the flame touched the pumpkin. Cut these away, it should still leave you with plenty of pumpkin to cook with.
Then take a good vegetable peeler, and peel away the hard outer skin. We normally quarter the pumpkin and then peel, then slice the flesh into large chunks ready to use (see below).
Three exciting ways to use Pumpkin!
Roasted Pumpkin, Sage, Sausage and Cauliflower Tray Bake
Preheat oven to 200c, place thickly chopped pumpkin on a baking tray.
Add any roasting veg you have in the house, in this case parsnip & cauliflower works well.
Scatter sage over the vegetables, drizzle honey over the vegetables
Season with salt and pepper and add the sausages on top of the veg
Drizzle olive oil over the dish and roast until everything is cooked
Roasted pumpkin seeds with cumin and cashew nuts
Preheat oven to 180c
Remove the membrane and wash the seeds. Then dry really thoroughly
Combine in a bowl with cashew nuts, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper. Drizzle a little olive oil into the mix and then coat the nuts and seeds
Pour the mix onto a greaseproof sheet on a baking try and pop in the oven for around 10 minutes, keep a really close eye on them!
The seeds are ready when they are dry and crunchy but the cashews will be soft
Lay out to cool until the cashews turn crunchy and then serve - they are so moreish!
Air Fryer Panko Pumpkin Pops
You’ll need plain flour, two beaten eggs, pumpkin and panko breadcrumbs
Preheat the air fryer at 200c
Place the flour in a bag with salt, pepper and Chinese five spice
Add the chunks of pumpkin and toss in the flour
Then roll in the beaten egg
Place the panko in a bag and add the pumpkin, shake to cover
Repeat the coating steps for a double crunch!
Place in the air fryer for around 10-15 minutes, shaking periodically
Crunchy pumpkin pop time!
These recipes are way better than boring pumpkin soup or pumpkin pie! Honourable mentions should also go to pumpkin gnocchi and sweet and sour pumpkin.