The Pumpkins Are Here

It's that time of year to enjoy the harvest season of pumpkins. There are several ways that you and your children can enjoy this interesting plant together. Head out to a farm, and pick your own pumpkin from a patch, or just go to a farm stand, and mull over all the pumpkins piled up on display until you find that one special pumpkin that's just right. Maybe you'll each decide to get your own smaller ones, or else you'll get one large one for the whole family. Whatever your choice, it will be a fun family outing.

There are a few different ways that you may choose to decorate your pumpkin. First and most common is the traditional carving of a jack-o-lantern, but you may want to add the twist of a new face or an animal portrait. Or, if you'd like to try something different, why not paint your pumpkin?

You can use any type of acrylic paint. First, you'll want to draw out the design. Then, with many different paint brushes you and your children can enjoy filling in the lines with paint. This is a unique and colorful approach.

To continue on the decorating mode, how about adding a costume or hat? Use any old material, construction paper, an old hat, scarf or overalls. Your children will have some wonderfully creative suggestions to add as well. So now your once-plain orange pumpkin has been transformed into Super Pumpkin. It will be a thrill for your children to see what they created, how fast it was and how much fun family projects are.

If you bought more than one pumpkin or if you carved out a pumpkin, here are a few more ideas to add to your pumpkin festival. Save the pumpkin seeds, and lay them out flat on a cookie sheet. Set your oven to low heat, and you can toast the seeds inside. Some people enjoy them with butter and salt on them, or even eat them plain. They are a healthy snack for everyone, but remember that small children could choke on the dry seeds if unsupervised.

When your pumpkin has been cut open, here's a great recipe that you and your family may want to try:

Harvest Pumpkin Bread:

1 3/4 cups of flour

1 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

1 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon of cloves

1 cup of sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup of butter

3 or 4 cups of cooked mashed pumpkin

1/2 cup of chocolate chips, optional

1/2 cup of coconut, optional

1/2 cup of raisins, optional

Begin by combining the first 7 ingredients and set them aside. Together cream sugar, butter and eggs. Add pumpkin and flour mixture.

Fold in any or all of the optional ingredients. Bake in a greased and floured bunt cake pan at 350 degrees for 50 or 60 minutes. The bread is done when the cake tester comes out clean. Now all you have to do is let your pumpkin bread cool off and then enjoy every bite.

Pumpkins are a real treat, and there are many other recipes out there for your family to try together. Children can help with the measuring, mixing and egg cracking. It's a great experience for them to create food such as bread from all of these loose ingredients found around the home.

For young children, it's amazing to think that by just adding some of this and that together you can make something as fancy as a pumpkin bread. For older children, it's a great chance to sharpen some math skills by using a measuring cup and teaspoon; adding up the sum of the ingredients is an easy, non-threatening way to work on adding and subtracting fractions.

Cooking not only will warm your kitchen but it will also warm your hearts. Here is another, more traditional pumpkin recipe:

Pumpkin Pie:

Using a 9 inch pie plate

1 unbaked pie shell

2 cups of mashed pumpkins

3/4 cup of firmly packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons of cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon mace

1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves

4 eggs, slightly beaten

1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk

In a large bowl mix the pumpkin and brown sugar. Blend in the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, mace and cloves. Now mix in the eggs, and then gradually stir in the evaporated milk. Pour all of this into the pie shell.

Bake in the oven at 400 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. The pumpkin pie tastes great at room temperature.

There is so much your children can learn from you as you organize and cook and clean up from all these many projects. Each is a great learning experience for your children, and doing these things together as a family is special and important in their lives. Family and education are one, so teach your children everything by sharing ideas, experiences, and projects.

Article provided by Homesteader