Growing Gardeners: Halloween Pumpkin Fun

Carving jack-o'-lanterns and roasting the seeds provides a perfect educational opportunity. While choosing and carving, talk with your children about winter squash.

• Pumpkins/squash are a fruit from a vining, green-leafed, flowering plant.
• Point out the parts of a pumpkin:
  1. Stem (where the fruit was connected to the vine, which provided growth nutrients)
  2. Blossom end (the bottom of the pumpkin, where the blossom was originally located)
  3. Skin
  4. Pulp
  5. Fibrous strands
  6. Seeds
• Visit Nature Inspired Learning, Parts of a Pumpkin, for a teacher-created lesson plan.

Jack-O'-Lantern Carving

Jack-o'-lanterns are tied to the spooky Irish legend of Stingy Jack, who roamed the night streets with a lantern made from a hollowed-out turnip to light his way. Today, most use plants from the Cucurbitaceae family, such as pumpkins and other types of winter squash, to create their glowing, carved creations.

For this activity, you will need:

• Pumpkin or other winter squash (Cucurbita spp.)
• Marker or pen
• Design templates from the internet or kits (optional)
• Work surface covering and tray/bowls for discarded squash parts
• Cleaning and carving tools—spoon, knife, apple corer, drill, pre-packaged pumpkin carving kit
• Clean-up towels
• Light source—votive candle, battery-operated candle, glow stick, tap light, etc.

Instructions:

1. Choose a carving medium. In other words, find the perfect winter squash for your jack-o'-lantern. There are so many places to purchase squash, such as your local grocery store, big box store, or landscape supplier. If you have the time, consider making a fall fun family day of it and visit a farm or pumpkin patch. A lot of winter squash types are currently offered, so you can choose the typical orange pumpkin or go with a different option, such as a white pumpkin or a bluish-green-gray Hubbard squash. Whatever type, choose a squash that is free from blemishes or mushy spots, has a sturdy stem, a hollow sound when you knock on it (which means thinner walls for easier carving), and has an overall appearance that appeals to you and inspires your creativity. When carrying or moving, be sure to hold the squash by the bottom, not by the stem.
2. Prepare the work area. Jack-o'-lantern carving is fun but messy. It also involves using sharp instruments, so choose an appropriate location with a flat, sturdy work surface like a countertop, kitchen table, or picnic table. For easy clean-up, use some type of surface covering (i.e., newspaper, wipeable tablecloth, cardboard) and towels. Put out bowls or trays to collect the discarded flesh, pulp, and seeds. Lay out the age-appropriate cleaning and carving tools, being mindful to keep sharp objects away from the youngest hands.
3. Decide on your design. Be creative and use different shapes, sizes, orientations, faces, animals, and objects. Make up your own silly or spooky creation, or, for ideas, do an internet search for kid-friendly pumpkin carving templates. In order to clean out the pumpkin for your design, first, determine where you will place an opening for the light source; this could be at the top around the stem, creating a lid, or at the bottom so that you can set the pumpkin over a light source. You might even make the opening on the side, incorporating the stem as a "nose." Draw your design on the squash surface with a permanent pen or marker. If you choose a paper template from the internet, tape the paper onto the squash and use a pointed tool to make a series of small holes to mark the outline, much like a dot-to-dot coloring page.
4. Clean out your squash. Be mindful of the participant's age and ability when deciding who will do each of these steps. First, use your carving tool to cut the opening. Be careful! Difficulty in cutting varies based on flesh hardness and wall thickness. Second, use your cleaning tool to scrape out the insides of the squash, making it as clean as possible. Third, wipe off hands, the outside of the squash, and the carving tools, which have probably become sticky and slimy with the squash pulp.
5. Carve your squash. Again, be mindful of age and ability when deciding who will do this step. Using the carving tool, slowly work around the squash surface to cut out the design. Make changes or additions, noting that larger shapes and more cutouts will result in a jack-o'-lantern that really glows!
6. Illuminate your jack-o'-lantern. Wipe down the outside surface of your carved creation. If you did a top or side opening, place your light source inside of the squash. (If you choose a candle, place the candle inside first and then light it. Be careful when lighting!); if you created a bottom opening, place the squash over the light source. Again, consider age and ability when deciding who will do this step.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Turn carving discards into a snack! Pumpkin seeds have cream-colored hulls that encase a green kernel called a pepita; both are edible! They are highly nutritious and packed with antioxidants. Eat by themselves or add them to a salad, granola, or trail mix. Pumpkin seeds can be either a savory snack or a sweet treat.

For this activity, you will need:

• Seeds from a freshly carved winter squash
• Colander
• Paper towels
• Bowl
• Baking sheet
• Parchment paper (optional)
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper
• Paprika, chili spices, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Start with clean counters and utensils. Wash hands for 20 seconds and dry with a single-use paper towel.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F (this can be done while you are carving).
3. Separate the seeds from the pulp/fibrous strands and place seeds into a colander (the pulp/strands can be composted, steamed to make pumpkin puree, or boiled in water with aromatic vegetables to make a stock).
4. Rinse seeds with cold water to remove excess pulp, and pat dry with a towel (dry seeds become crispier cooked seeds).
5. In a bowl, season the seeds. You can keep the recipe simple with a drizzle of olive oil and a few pinches of salt and pepper, or be creative and use different oils or butter and add other spices (paprika, chili spices, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon sugar).
6. Grease or line the baking tray with parchment paper. Spread seeds on tray and roast for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring/flipping seeds every four minutes to brown on all sides. Seeds should be crunchy and lightly browned when done.
7. Let cool. Eat immediately or store in an air-tight container.