COLUMN: Five things to do with your Halloween pumpkins
Well, Halloween is over, which means you are a couple of weeks away from having a rotten pumpkin taking up space in your house. However, there is no need to let your Halloween pumpkins go to waste. Of course, there is an infinite number of recipes involving pumpkins, but here are a few less conventional uses for your leftover holiday gourds:
1. Smash It, Duh
Let’s be honest, the only real world use for physics is throwing pumpkins off of balconies and watching them burst into a million pieces, right? Invite your friends over with their leftover pumpkins and go nuts. Just remember to clean up the mess. I mean, pumpkins are biodegradable, but that doesn’t give you a free pass to be gross.
Just think of how awesome the Instagram photos will be!
2. Roast The Seeds
The roasting of pumpkin seeds is a tradition that dates back to the Native Americans. They have a nutty flavor and pair well with both sweet and savory spices. They are a great low-calorie snack, not to mention a source of vitamins and minerals. They also reduce inflammation for people with arthritis, which will be good in the future when we all have it from texting all the time.
3. Make A Facial Mask
Fun Fact: Pumpkin is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C and Zinc, all of which are great for the skin. Vitamin A helps the skin heal; making pumpkin facial masks is a good choice for those with sensitive skin. There are many adjustments you can make to the mask recipe (i.e. adding apple cider to reduce oil or adding brown sugar to exfoliate) to make it more suitable to your particular skin type.
4. Donate It
Most people don’t know you can donate pumpkins to local farmers to feed their animals. Instead of throwing your pumpkin away, spread the love and give the animals a little taste of fall, too.
5. Make An Air Freshener
People love the smells of fall almost as much as they love talking about pumpkin spice lattes ... almost. There is a simple way to bring the smell of fall into your home. All you need to do is rub the spice of your choice on the inside of your leftover pumpkin and light a candle. The aroma will fill your home and hopefully hold you over until Christmas.
Shannon Borden is a professional writing sophomore.
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