We can’t let October slip by without a love letter to Fall’s favorite fruit – no, not apples – pumpkins! Scientifically speaking, a pumpkin is a fruit. You’d be hard-pressed to find a coffee, pie, store, or porch not sporting the annual orange trend. This year for National Pumpkin Day let’s take a moment to admire the flavor and beauty they bring to the season.
Pumpkins in your Food and Drinks
Did you know that pumpkins are loaded with antioxidants and vitamin A, and low in calories? They’re 90% water and you can eat every single part of a pumpkin. You can eat the skin, leaves, flowers, pulp, seeds, and even the stem! The flavor makes for delicious sweet and savory meals and drinks. They’re a nutritious way to get some variety in your kids’ diet.
So pick up a PSL tomorrow morning to start your day. Bake some pumpkin muffins or pumpkin seeds to sneak some healthy food into your kids. Check out some great pumpkin recipes right here on Lansing Mom. And we can all find a way to fit the pumpkin flavor in this fall.
Once the season is over and we start to pull out our holiday lights, pumpkins are easy to recycle as well. You can take all of your unpainted pumpkins and gourds from around your house to a local farm. They will happily feed them to their animals like pigs and chickens.
Pumpkins in your Decor
There is nothing that makes me stop faster at the Target Bulleye’s Playground than some new pumpkins. Pumpkins adorn every surface in my home from September to November. Some placed higher than others so the kids can’t reach them – that’s how much some of them mean to me!
Thankfully, pumpkins are an awesome excuse to enjoy some family time in the name of decorating your home and making memories. You can visit a local pumpkin patch, paint or carve jack-o-lanterns, or use them to cook or bake together.
You can even buy or paint a food-allergy friendly teal pumpkin to put on your porch for Halloween night, along with some non-candy treats for your visitors. Pick up some fun things at the Dollar Store or Oriental Trading to hand out year after year until they’re gone!
