It’s almost time for the Great Pumpkin to appear. That’s right, ’tis the season to go pumpkin picking. And sure, the next obvious step is carving the orange squash and maybe even baking the seeds inside. But after a little imagination, we came up with some ideas that just might create some new favorite fall traditions.

— Compiled by The Daily Orange feature staff
Illustrations by Andy Casadonte | Art Director

Fall facial

It’s pretty well known that pumpkins are delicious in desserts and add some spice to lattes. But now, take your love for this orange gourd to a new level with a rejuvenating facial mask. The first thing you’ll need to make a homemade pumpkin face mask is some pumpkin purée. After cutting the pumpkin open and removing all the strings, cut the rind into chunks and boil them for 20 minutes. Then, mash the softened pieces into a purée. If you’re lazy, you can always just buy pumpkin purée from the grocery store, but then you won’t have the joyous experience of picking a pumpkin and scooping out the slimy innards. Once the purée is ready to go, add ½ teaspoon of honey and ½ teaspoon of milk to it. If you don’t have overly sensitive skin, add in ¼ teaspoon of cinnamon. Mix all the ingredients together and apply it to your face. After 10 minutes, wash the mask off and enjoy your fresh, glowing, pumpkin-smelling face.

Get crafty

Even though there are creative ways to carve a pumpkin, there comes a point when jack-o’-lanterns start looking pretty dull. The craftiest among us find new ways to decorate this symbol of the season, either with paint or 3-D materials. One way to decorate your pumpkin is with some fake flowers from a craft store. When choosing flowers, make sure you pick colors that best represent fall, like yellow, red, orange and maybe sky blue to add some contrast. Poke the stems of your flowers through the pumpkin in whatever shape or image you want. A good starting point is to make a face on the pumpkin, but don’t limit yourself to that. If you’re more into paint than fake flowers, let the pumpkin be your canvas. Paint fall landscapes, faces or abstract images — go wherever your inspiration takes you.

Pumpkin bowl 

Toss a few spare pumpkins at some empty bottles, and you have yourself a makeshift bowling game. But this version requires a bit of luck. Given a pumpkin’s uneven surface — and no option for bumpers — there is no guarantee it will roll straight. But there are some techniques to increase your chances to bowl a strike. For starters, don’t heave the pumpkin like you might roll an actual bowling ball. Doing this will likely result in it breaking on impact. Not only will you have wasted a frame, but you’ll also have a real mess on your hands. As uncoordinated as it may make you look, roll the pumpkin with two hands from as close to the ground as possible. This should allow for greater accuracy and a significantly smaller risk of the pumpkin exploding. You can keep the pumpkin theme going with the pins by using empty pumpkin ale bottles.

“The Great Pumpkin”

You’ve probably never played a pumpkin drinking game. Well, now’s your chance. Buy a pumpkin — as round as you can find — and pluck off the stem. Begin writing the rules of Kings all around its circumference with a permanent marker. The larger the pumpkin, the more rules you can fit onto its surface, so feel free to pick a big one and come up with some original rules. Then, sit in a circle on the floor with your friends. Take turns closing your eyes and spinning the pumpkin. Whatever phrase your finger lands on is the next step of the game. If you’re feeling extra festive, buy some pumpkin ale to drink instead of regular beer, or try some of Woodchuck’s pumpkin-flavored hard cider. The winner of the game is determined when one person gets the same rule five times, and for the rest of the night everyone must refer to that person as “The Great Pumpkin.”

Spoonful of fall

Chilly fall nights are best paired with a steamy cup of hearty soup. Instead of heating up soup from a can, impress your roommates by actually using one of those recipe books your grandparents bought you and cook up a batch of pumpkin stew. The best part: You get to cook it inside of the pumpkin itself. Most recipes call for beef, potatoes, carrots, onions and green peppers. Combine these ingredients in a pot with water and vegetable oil and let them simmer for a couple of hours. Then, place a cleaned, hollowed out pumpkin on a saucepan, pour the stew mixture into it and stick it in the oven until the pumpkin looks golden brown and feels tender. Ladle up servings of the stew right out of the pumpkin, scraping off the inside of the squash with each scoop. It may sound crazy, but trust us: You’ll wonder why you never tried it sooner.

Bloomin’ pumpkin

Add a festive autumn touch to your garden by crafting your own planter out of the season’s finest squash. Draw a 1-inch circle around the top of the pumpkin to make a large enough opening for your plants. Once the pumpkin has been hollowed out, drill a few small holes in the bottom to allow for drainage. Fill the emptied pumpkin halfway with potting mix, and then add your flowers. Pick up some small Chrysanthemums or Mums in reds, oranges or yellows for that perfect fall feel. Or, if your favorite flower isn’t in season, make a quick trip to Michaels and buy some plastic ones. But if your garden is growing nicely, hollow and clean out a pumpkin and use it as a decorative vase for a coffee table or as a centerpiece for the dining room table. This way, you can avoid the messy step of adding soil and can experiment with a nice, varied bouquet of flowers.

Published on October 15, 2013 at 1:40 am