Fall months are synonymous with those pretty, orange gourds known as pumpkins. They’re all over—right from the salty shores of Vancouver Island to Nova Scotia’s winding Cabot Trail and everywhere in between. It’s pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that around every corner. But there are so many more things you can do with pumpkins. Check out these four ideas:
Use in your skincare routine. Pumpkin pulp can be made into glorious products to make your face glow and your skin feel as soft as silk. Try this face mask recipe: Stir together two tablespoons of pumpkin purée with half a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of milk. Mix until pasty and apply to your face for about 20 minutes—wash it away for a vibrant complexion. For a scintillating body scrub, mix one cup of raw sugar with half a cup of puréed pumpkin, one teaspoon of honey and one teaspoon of almond oil. Rub it all over and shower off!
Get into the seeds. Pumpkin seeds are delicious if prepared properly and roasting them is a snap. Try it this way: Toss one and a half cups of whole pumpkin seeds (make sure they’ve been dried out) with melted butter and salt. Roast in the oven at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until they’re golden. You can add your favourite spice to the mix before roasting for a more savoury option.
Don’t discount the shell. Although the pumpkin shell isn’t edible, you can use it in a number of inventive ways. Once the innards have been taken out, fill the shell with water or soil and add some lovely flowers. The shell makes a terrific planter for mums—a great way to dress up your front porch. Or, fill half a shell with bird seed for your outdoor feathered friends. You can also use shells as dip bowls for a festive table around Thanksgiving.
Get artsy. You can use pumpkin seeds to create whimsical art. The seeds can be coloured and turned into “drawings” on art paper, an especially fun craft for children. They’ll turn those seeds into pictures of dragons, dinosaurs, unicorns or whatever else stirs their imaginations.