Find A New Way To Use Your Pumpkins This Fall

October is pumpkin season. Just about everywhere you go, you'll see these gourds displayed out in the chilly weather. You might even spot some while touring Wheeling homes for sale. If you have kids who can't wait to take part in Halloween fun, or you just want to try out a new craft, we have you covered. Our real estate agents put together a list of different ways you can utilize your pumpkins this year. Try one or all of these fun fall activities.

1. New and improved jack-o'-lanterns
   Is the classic jagged teeth and triangle eyes a little stale? You can find creative designs for carving and decorating unique jack-o'-lanterns in craft books, magazines, and with a simple internet search. Go as simple or as wild as your imagination takes you. If you're not feeling like carving, you can always forgo it and paint the pumpkin or draw on it with a felt tip pen. Apply textural elements with a hot glue gun, or try using decorative tape. Just be sure to help preserve your pumpkins by cutting the bottom off instead of the top, hollowing out thoroughly, and sealing the walls with petroleum jelly.
   
   
2. Pumpkin bouquet
   A round, fat pumpkin with a flat bottom works best for this fun project. Acquire some flowering bedding plants and soil and you're ready to make your own pumpkin planter. Cut off the top of the pumpkin (you want a clean circle here), then scoop out the innards, and fill the empty space half or two-thirds full with potting soil. Then place the plants in the soil and fill in the rest of the space around the plants with soil. Keep the plants hydrated, and when the pumpkin starts to fade, plant the whole bouquet in the garden. As it deteriorates, it will provide great nutrients for your garden next spring.
   
   
3. Pumpkin scented candles
   If you don't like pumpkin-flavored foods, you can still enjoy pumpkins this fall by turning them into candles holders. Just like the jack-o'-lanterns you carve from fresh pumpkins, the candle holder won't last all that long and instead will dry out and shrivel up. So if you want a candle holder that lasts longer, use an artificial pumpkin. In addition to the real or artificial pumpkin, you will also need soy wax flakes, wicks, cinnamon sticks, a pencil to hold the wicks, and if you choose, wax coloring and cinnamon flavor for the scent. If you don't want to make the candles yourself, you can always buy some pumpkin-scented ones from your favorite retailer and still use pumpkins as candle holders.
   
   
4. Tasty pumpkin seeds
   Most stores sell pumpkin seeds, but nothing beats the fun of showing the kids how to harvest and prepare your own tasty and nutritious pumpkin seeds. Whether you buy or grow your own pumpkin, save the seeds before you carve the jack-o'-lantern by scooping out the seeds. Place seeds and pulp in a bowl of water and separate the seeds from the pulp. You can place seeds in a colander as you work. When you're done, rinse the seeds under cool water and rub them together to remove any lingering pulp. Then drain the seeds, dry them with a dish towel, and spread them on a baking sheet drizzled with cooking oil and seasoned with garlic salt. Roast at 275 degrees till done, then enjoy!

Want more fun projects, or are you ready to start your home search? Contact us today to get started.