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!
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.