I've often tried to think of a Greener way to create a fun Halloween experience at my house for the kids in my neighborhood other than simply handing out candy while dressed as the Autumn Fairy. First I began by growing my own pumpkins organically so that I knew I wasn't adding to the pesticide problem in the Chesapeake Bay, but then when we moved to a shady spot in a new neighborhood, I knew that was out of the question until we moved again. So then I began using beeswax tea lights in the pumpkins to create that eerie, lit-pumpkin effect without adding dangerous petrochemicals to the air and to the meat of the pumpkin. That brings me to my first Green Halloween Tip! (Though it's the second one really when you count the beeswax candles, ;) One way in which I began making my Halloweens greener, is that I started making sure to reuse the pumpkin. After using it for a Halloween decoration and for creative spooky fun, the day after Halloween I would save the inner meat of the pumpkin that wasn't charred from the candles, cook it up into a freezable form, and then use it year round in things like breads, cookies, pies, and soups!!! Here is how you go about it:
How to REUSE Your Halloween Pumpkin!!
You begin by being sure not to carve your pumpkin more than two days before Halloween. If you like to decorate your porch with pumpkins weeks in advance, you can always arrange them artfully with fake leaves and other autumn items and make a lovely scene without carving right away. So next, when the time is right, you will gut your pumpkin as you normally would, being sure to set aside the seeds for roasting later (YUM!). Be sure to get all those gooey guts out of the inside of the pumpkin, then after you've carved your creative faces, and are ready to place your pumpkin on the porch or stoop, be sure to use beeswax candles or LED lights to illuminate your pumpkin so as not to create toxic fumes with petroleum-based candles that could leach into your pumpkin meat. No more than one day after Halloween, it is time to remove your pumpkin from the porch, and do the salvaging. You begin by chopping the pumpkin into fourths, as you would an apple, this leaves the inside open for peering at to see what is salvageable. Obviously, if there is any mold be sure to compost the pumpkin. In the past, if there are only a few small spots of mold I have simply cut off those chunks and used the rest, but that is a judgement call. Once you have cut off any moldy or charred spots on the meat, it is time to chop that meat up into 4-5 inch by 4-5 inch squares that will be small enough to fit in the steamer you plan to use or large pot that will fit a steamer insert. Be sure to leave on the skin of the pumpkin, as this will help it hold together while steaming. Another piece of advice I have is to wash your pumpkin off before you begin chopping and steaming, this saves you from finding grit in your lovely pumpkin bread! Steaming pumpkin is very easy. You simply steam it like any other vegetable; fill a pot with about an inch of water, put in your steamer insert, plop in the chunks of pumpkin, and turn on the heat to about medium high. You will want to place the chunks of pumpkin meat-up in the steamer, that way things don't fall apart too easily before you want them to. Once the pumpkin is tender when pierced with a fork, it is time to turn off the heat and let the pumpkin cool a bit (handling piping hot pumpkin is tricky business). Once it is somewhat cooler but still warm, take the chunks of pumpkin out of the steamer, remove the skin, and plop the meat into your blender or food processor. Then you will blend until the meat is like a grainy shake, and place it into any water-tight, freezer-safe Tupperware or freezer-bag, and store it until you are ready to use it in breads, pies, cookies, soups, or whatever else you can think of!!
Soon to follow: some recipes for using that lovely repurposed pumpkin!!
For other ways in which to reuse your pumpkin, including body butter, casseroles, vegan recipes, and more, check out this site:
Other Great Ways to Green Your Halloween!!
Instead of handing out processed candy, hand out cool trinkets like worry dolls or sea shells. Or, if you prefer to stay more traditional and stick with candy, try to find some organic prepackaged candy in bulk. A great resource for this is Green Halloween, here:
If you're having trouble navigating the page, here is a direct link to their list of suggested alternative and earth-friendly items to hand out this Halloween.
No comments:
Post a Comment