Bury Them
Your Jack-o-Lantern is packed with nutrients, making them excellent fertilizers for your garden! Make sure you remove the pumpkin seeds before you bury them, though! (well, unless you want to see baby pumpkins sprout in your garden!)
What to Do: Break your Jack-o-Lantern into a few pieces, then bury them in your garden or by any plants you'd like to see grow quickly. The leftover pumpkin pieces will decay and enrich the soil, giving your plants a little boost of energy through the winter!
Feed Them to Animals
Pumpkins are a very sweet treat loved and adored by animals! If you live close to the woods, place your pumpkins close to the wildlife to give deer, squirrels, and other animals a tasty snack for them to enjoy. Plus, you can leave your pumpkin seeds out for the birds to enjoy when they visit you in the morning!
What to Do: First, make sure you didn't use any paint on your pumpkins, as the toxins can cause harm to the wildlife. After double checking, break your pumpkins into pieces and scatter them in a spot where you don't mind the animals visiting. They'll be very thankful for the meal!
Donate Them
If you don't want to attract outdoor wildlife and don't have a garden, you can donate your pumpkins to nearby farms! They will put your old Jack-o-Lantern to good use by feeding it to their livestock or adding it to their fertilizer for their crops.
What to Do: If you aren't sure where to go to donate your pumpkins, you can use the Yellow Pages Farm Finder, or you can head over to Almar Orchards in Flushing to watch the fun farm animals feast on your old pumpkin!
Make Pumpkin Puree
If you'd rather enjoy the delicious benefits of leftover pumpkins for yourself, you can save yourself a few trips to the grocery store by making homemade pumpkin puree with your leftover Jack-o-Lantern! Use your pumpkin puree to make pumpkin bread, pie, muffins, and other sweet treats! Just make sure no mold has started to grow inside your Jack-o-Lantern.
What to Do: You'll want to start by preheating your oven to 325º F. Next, cut your pumpkin into pieces and remove any seeds and "pulp". After cleaning out your pumpkin pieces, wrap them in foil and place them in your oven (with the foil side up) for one hour. Once they're done cooking, take a spoon and scrape out your pumpkin's shell and place them in a blender. Finally, blend your pumpkin pieces until they're pureed, and place the remainders in freezer-safe bags for future use.
Cook a Batch of Pumpkin Bread
Want to put your pumpkin puree to good use? With just a few quick steps, you can turn your pumpkin puree into a warm and welcoming loaf of pumpkin bread. It's a must-try fall recipe that's a perfect compliment to any dish!
What to Do: First, you'll need the following items:
- 3 cups sugar
- 4 eggs, lightly beaten
- 16 oz. pumpkin puree
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon allspice
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 2/3 cup water
- 2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 2 teaspoon salt
- 3 1/2 cups flour
Once you've gathered all the necessary supplies, it's time to make the bread! First, preheat your oven to 350º F. Next, stir together your sugar and oil, adding the eggs and pumpkin puree afterward. Combine your dry ingredients (cloves, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking powder, baking soda, flour, and salt) in a separate bowl. After that, blend your dry ingredients with water and add them to the wet mixture and combine them. Divide your bread batter between two loaf pans, then bake them for 30-40 minutes. Finally, let it stand for 10 minutes, then remove them from the pans and enjoy!
Now that you know how to reuse your leftover pumpkins, you can make it a tradition every November to repurpose your old Jack-o-Lanterns after Halloween! Want to find more ways to upcycle your old stuff this November? Check out our Pinterest page to discover DIY guides, fall recipes, and much more! If you head out to donate your pumpkin or to gather supplies to make pumpkin bread, be careful as deer will be on the move. Should you run into any trouble on the road, make the most of a bad situation by entering our Busted Bumper Buck Pole contest for a chance to win $1,000! When you bring your vehicle into our Graff Durand Service Center, we'll make sure your vehicle is fixed and ready to go in no time and automatically enter you in the Busted Bumper Buck Pole contest so you can have a chance at winning $1,000!
Located at 9009 East Lansing Road in Durand, MI 48429, Hank Graff Chevrolet Durand wants to revolutionize your car buying experience. We’ll bring all the transparency and customer satisfaction you need while making the buying experience fun! If you have any questions be sure to contact us at (989) 288-2657 or head over to our website at www.GraffChevyDurand.com! We are proud to serve Durand and the surrounding communities of Owosso, Flint, Genesee Charter Township, Swartz Creek, and Corunna.
Follow us: Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Google+, YouTube and Instagram
