Pumpkin Central for Halloween

This month The Southerly Blog brings members of our apartment community a pumpkin edition. That’s right, October has come to Towson, MD and in honor of the upcoming Halloween holiday, we’ve to got all things pumpkin from tips on how to carve your jack-o-lantern to pumpkin costumes, to pumpkin flavored treats. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Carving

For your carving pumpkins, Modern Farmer advises that you choose pumpkins that are far from decay. The sturdiness of stems and the gourd will tell you just how “fresh” your pumpkin is. Modern Farmer also gives this invaluable tip: buy separate pumpkins for your pies and for carving. You could eat a carving pumpkin; it just wouldn’t taste very good.

As far as pumpkin decorating goes, there’s a whole world of possibilities. Decorate your pumpkin like your favorite cartoon character, paint a design on it, or add flowers to it to to form a fun centerpiece. You can find more decorating ideas here, here, and here. Don’t be afraid to think outside of the box. If you come up with a cool new way to decorate pumpkins, tell us about it in the comments.  

Pumpkin Costumes

If sewing isn’t your strong suite, this No Sew Pumpkin Tutu costume may be just the thing.

For more ideas, check out Halloween Costumes.com and peruse the many pumpkin costumes available there.

Pumpkin Treats  

Switching gears, how about a classic pumpkin dessert? On the Cutestuff Cooks blog, we found several pumpkin-based recipes, a Turtle Pumpkin Pie, a Pumpkin Pie Cake recipe, plus a Pumpkin Roll recipes. We hit the pumpkin jackpot here!

Pumpkin Trivia

Pumpkin seeds can be roasted as a snack, and pumpkin flowers are edible.

The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, and 12 dozen eggs, and it took six hours to bake.

Pumpkins are members of the vine crops family called cucurbits. They originated in Central America.

Pumpkins were once recommended for removing freckles and curing snake bites.

Colonists sliced off pumpkin tops, removed seeds, and filled the insides with milk, spices and honey. This was baked in hot ashes and is the origin of pumpkin pie.

Stay Safe

As a reminder, this safety advice* is great  information about how to stay safe during the upcoming Halloween holiday.

— Only visit people you know in familiar areas.

— Carry a flashlight to see and be seen. Use reflective tape on costumes, bags, and sacks.

— Stay on the sidewalk at all times and cross streets at crosswalks and intersections. Do not cut across yards. Lawn ornaments and clotheslines can become ‘hidden hazards’ in the dark.

We hope you have plenty of time to prepare for Halloween using these recipes and tips! Have a wonderful October here in Towson, MD!