Team Apple or Team Pumpkin? If you have to pick a fall fav which will it be? Check out our ultimate guide to all things pumpkin and then go check out our ultimate guide to all things apple and decide! Don't miss our Apple Picking Guide and our Pumpkin Patch Guide!
Crafts
- Mosaic Pumpkin:
- Cut out small, colorful pieces of construction paper or use mosaic tiles. Then, glue them onto a pumpkin in a pattern or design of your choice. It creates a beautiful and unique mosaic effect!
- Pumpkin Diorama:
- Hollow out a small pumpkin and create a tiny scene inside. You can use miniature figurines, moss, and small decorations to make a pumpkin diorama. It's like a little world inside a pumpkin!
- String Art Pumpkin:
- Hammer small nails into the surface of a pumpkin in a design (like a spiderweb, for example). Then, use colorful string or thread to connect the nails and create a unique string art pattern.
- Pumpkin Seed Mandala:
- Arrange cleaned pumpkin seeds in a symmetrical, circular pattern on a piece of cardboard or paper. Paint them in different colors to create a beautiful pumpkin seed mandala.
- Pumpkin Fairy House:
- Turn a pumpkin on its side to create a "house." Cut out a door and windows, and decorate the exterior with natural materials like twigs and leaves. You can even add a little pathway with pebbles!
Eats
From the Mac Kid Archives:
- Pumpkin Soup:
- Ingredients:
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 tsp curry powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions:
- In a large pot, sauté the chopped onion and garlic until soft.
- Add the pumpkin puree, vegetable broth, and curry powder. Simmer for about 15-20 minutes.
- Blend the mixture until smooth, then return it to the pot.
- Stir in the coconut milk, and season with salt and pepper. Heat through and serve.
- Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Pancakes:
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- Instructions:
- In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, milk, and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Heat a griddle or skillet over medium heat and ladle the batter onto the hot surface. Cook until bubbles form, then flip and cook until golden brown.
- Ingredients:
- Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:
- Ingredients:
- Pumpkin seeds, cleaned and dried
- Olive oil
- Salt or your choice of seasoning (like cinnamon and sugar, or chili powder for a spicy version)
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
- Toss the cleaned and dried pumpkin seeds with a bit of olive oil and your chosen seasoning.
- Spread them out on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for about 45 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy.
- Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Risotto:
- Ingredients:
- 1 cup Arborio rice
- 2 cups pumpkin puree
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp butter
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Instructions:
- In a large skillet, sauté the chopped onion and garlic in butter until translucent.
- Add the Arborio rice and cook for a few minutes until lightly toasted.
- Gradually add the vegetable broth, one cup at a time, stirring frequently until absorbed.
- Stir in the pumpkin puree and continue cooking until the rice is creamy and cooked to your liking. Add more broth if needed.
- Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper, and serve.
- Ingredients:
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Bars:
- Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 16 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Mix graham cracker crumbs, 1/4 cup sugar, and melted butter in a bowl. Press the mixture into the bottom of a greased 9x13 inch baking dish.
- In a separate bowl, beat cream cheese, 1 cup sugar, pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
- Pour the cream cheese mixture over the crust and smooth the top.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly.
- Allow to cool, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours before cutting into bars.
- Ingredients:
Facts
- Giant Pumpkins: The world record for the heaviest pumpkin ever grown is over 2,600 pounds (1,179 kilograms)! These gigantic pumpkins can grow so large that people sometimes carve them into boats for fun races.
- Many Colors of Pumpkins: While orange is the most common color for pumpkins, they can also be found in other hues like white, green, blue, and even pink! These unique colors make for interesting and eye-catching decorations.
- Pumpkin Blossoms are Edible: Not only can you eat the flesh and seeds of pumpkins, but you can also eat the flowers! Pumpkin blossoms can be used in salads, stuffed, or even fried for a tasty treat.
- Pumpkin as a Symbol of Halloween: Originally, jack-o'-lanterns were carved from turnips or potatoes in Ireland. When Irish immigrants came to America, they found that pumpkins were much easier to carve and the tradition evolved to what we know today.
- Pumpkins are a Fruit: Even though we often treat pumpkins as a vegetable in cooking, they are botanically classified as a fruit because they contain seeds and develop from the flowering part of the pumpkin plant.
Jokes
- Why did the pumpkin sit on the porch?
- Because it had no guts to go inside!
- Why did the pumpkin go to the party alone?
- Because it had no-body to go with!
- Why did the pumpkin go to the doctor?
- Because it was feeling a little "seedy"!
- What's a pumpkin's favorite sport?
- Squash!
- What did the pumpkin say to the pumpkin pie?
- "You're sweet and I'm so filling!"
