It’s that time of the year—pumpkin season! Get into the fall spirit with these 3 DIY pumpkin activities. These ideas will yield some aesthetic and tasty results. Not to mention, it’s a blast! Try to see if you can check off all three before winter comes around. For an extra challenge, try to accomplish all 3 of these fall activities in one day---it's possible.
Carve Pumpkins
Pumpkin carving is a Halloween staple. Jack-o-lanterns add a nice pop of festivity to your decorations. There are endless design possibilities and you can go as simple or detailed as you like.
(PC/Kaya Long)
Materials Needed:
Pumpkin carving materials (if you don’t already carving tools, you can get a kit for $5 from Target)
Field pumpkin (this is the optimal kind of pumpkin for carving due to its bright orange exterior and relatively thin rind that makes it easy to carve)
Note:
VERY IMPORTANT: Save the seeds for roasting (more on this below).
I would suggest searching up some reference photos for inspiration. You can find some pretty cool designs!
Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Roasting pumpkin seeds is a great way to use all parts of the pumpkins you are carving. Instead of wasting the seeds, turn them into a tasty snack with minimal effort in less than 30 minutes!
(PC/Kaya Long)
Ingredients Needed:
Field pumpkin seeds (harvested from carved pumpkin)
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Garlic powder
Recipe Used: How to Roast Pumpkin Seeds
Note:
Keep in mind that you might need to roast the pumpkins for longer than suggested. I would suggest just keeping an eye on them while they are in the oven and checking for doneness if you are unsure.
Bake a Pumpkin Pie
Nothing signals the start of the fall season quite like the aroma of a pumpkin pie fresh out of the oven. Pumpkin pies are quick to throw together and incredibly scrumptious!
(PC/Kaya Long)
Ingredients Needed:
Filling:
Eggs
Pumpkin puree
Full fat coconut milk
Vanilla extract
Light brown sugar
Sea salt
Ground cinnamon
Pumpkin pie spice
Pie Crust:
All-purpose flour
Sea salt
Granulated sugar
Butter
Cold water
Recipe Used: Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie
Note:
This is a dairy-free recipe but I am sure that it would work with regular butter as well and of course there is no shortage of normal recipes online.
If you want to try to make a pumpkin pie from scratch then you need to use a very specific kind of pumpkin: a sugar pumpkin. These are distinct from field pumpkins, the kind of pumpkins that are used for carving. Small and round, sugar pumpkins are sweeter and denser than carving pumpkins.