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Home » Holidays » Halloween

Halloween

13 Tips to Save Money on Halloween

October 9, 2022 By Paula Leave a Comment

12 Tips to Save Money on Halloween

With consumers returning to their pre-pandemic behaviors, we could see pre-pandemic numbers of revelers and spending this year. It’s a spooktacular time of year! A survey of more than 8,200 people by Prosper Insights & Analytics and the National Retail Federation found that nearly seven in 10 consumers are planning to celebrate Halloween this year. The NRF predicts that consumers will spend $10.6 billion on Halloween candy, outdoor decorations, costumes, pumpkin carving, attending or hosting a party this year, and other Halloween items.

Halloween expenses like candy, costumes, and decorations can quickly add up but you can save big on Halloween without sacrificing the spooky fun for kids of all ages with these tips.

13 Ways You Can Save On Halloween

Halloween Party Table

1. Buy arts and craft supplies at the dollar store.

Visit dollar or other discount stores for great savings on some basic supplies for making your own decorations. Ready-made treat bags, party favors, and Halloween decorations can be used to make wreaths, centerpieces, yard decor, and other festive decorations.

2. Buy your Halloween candy from a warehouse club.

Getting your Halloween candy in bulk from a warehouse club can help you save money. Get a few bags of mixed candy to give your trick-or-treaters lots of options. 

Party Store Halloween Decorations

3. Shop at online party stores for Halloween decorations.

Whether you’re decorating for the season, a Halloween party, or your home for trick-or-treaters, check out the Halloween décor at online party stores for some great deals before spending your money at the big-box stores. Keep an eye out for coupons and online-only offers. Often party stores will offer discounts on bulk buys and run specials on Halloween items throughout the season.

4. Shop at bargain stores.

Stores, like Ollie’s Bargain Outlet, that carry overstock, surplus, and slightly damaged or irregular merchandise can be a  bargain hunter’s paradise as they often have a large selection of holiday-themed merchandise. Many carry discounted Halloween costumes and accessories.

Don’t forget the thrift and charity stores. Thrift stores are the perfect place to find Halloween decor — from creepy old dolls and beautifully aged jars for lanterns to dusty baskets and so much more — that you can repurpose to make your very own Haunted House.

Dollar Store Halloween DIY creepy specimen jars

Save On Halloween With DIY

5. Make your own Halloween costumes.

There are all kinds of tutorials and tips for making Halloween costumes with inexpensive materials online. Visit Pinterest boards and posts from crafty bloggers to get inspiration. Buy items you can reuse in your everyday life, for next year’s Halloween, or that you can repurpose. My daughter’s favorite costume was Pippi Longstocking. And it was so affordable! I just braided her hair into two pigtails, ran a wire coat hanger through them, painted some freckles on with my eyeliner, and dressed her in some fun stripes.

Bonus Tip: Swap costumes Most of us wear our Halloween costumes once, maybe twice. So consider swapping with some of your closest friends and family members.

Deviled Egg Eyeballs

6. Dress up the foods you have on hand.

Check your fridge, freezer, pantry, and cupboards to see what creative Halloween recipes you can come up with. Wrap some dough strips around a hot dog to make mummy dogs, use pumpkins as bowls, turn deviled eggs into eyeballs with an olive slice and by making blood streaks with red food coloring. For more ideas check out 13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas – Eat, Drink, and Be Scary.

7. Find free activities near you.

Many of us don’t have room in our budget to host a Halloween party or hand out holiday candy this year. There are events that you can attend for some free Halloween fun. Check with your local churches, community centers, schools, museums, parks, and local businesses for offerings. You can also find events in your local newspaper and on the Facebook pages of local organizations. Often there will be several low-cost ways to celebrate Halloween.

8. Shop on November 1st for next year.

Once Halloween is over, many stores will be clearing out anything that didn’t sell. Now is the time to stock up on all the clearance items for next year. You can get discounts of up to 90%!!

Halloween Receipt

9. Ask for price adjustments & save receipts.

Keep your receipts and if the price drops within a month+- of your purchase, many stores will give you the lower price. Since some stores have special rules on holiday items, they may not offer this on some items. But, it never hurts to ask! Sometimes stores won’t do price adjustments but will have you return and repurchase the item at the lower price. You don’t have to wait until Black Friday to shop! Starting on Oct. 6 if you purchase an item in-store or online on or before Dec. 24 and the price drops any lower at Target, you can request a price adjustment on your purchase. For a list of stores with price match or price adjustment policies visit Real Sophisticated Consumer.

10. Check local deal sites.

Ghost tours, haunted houses, and corn mazes can be expensive so check your local deal websites such as Groupon for discounted tickets to local events.

11. Decorate with items you have on hand.

Just like making spooky food from items that you already have, you can many Halloween decorations quickly and cheaply with items that are lying around your home. Make a giant yard spider out of black garbage bags, cobwebs from cotton balls, and tombstones from cardboard. Simply lighting a candle can add a perfect eerie glow and pouring your seasonal orange and yellow packaged candies (or M&Ms, candy corn, or jelly beans) into glass containers will add a pop of Halloween color to your home.

Pumpkins For Sale

12. Wait to purchase your pumpkin.

Many stores sell pumpkins at deep discounts right before Halloween to clear out excess inventory before the big post-Halloween demand drop. By holding off until Halloween or a few days before to buy pumpkins your pumpkins, you could save some money. By carving the pumpkins on Halloween instead of earlier in the season when the pumpkins are more prone to rot, your jack-o-lantern will look its best for partygoers and trick-or-treaters. You could also use uncarved pumpkins for Thanksgiving decorations.

13. Avoid Halloween Pop-Up Shops

Pop-up shops and Halloween-themed stores are only open a few months each year and tend to be pretty expensive. After all, these places need to make a year’s revenue in just a few short months.

How you can Save Money on Halloween

I hope these simple, but effective tips help you keep your budget intact. You don’t have to sacrifice a lot to have a budget-friendly Halloween. You just need to be resourceful and creative. By making a few simple changes you can save on your fun-filled Halloween!

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Filed Under: Halloween, Savings Tagged With: Halloween, Holiday, Holiday Decorations, Party Tips, Saving Money, Shopping Tips

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas – Eat, Drink, and Be Scary

September 13, 2018 By Paula 30 Comments

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into.

Whether your throwing Spooktacular Soiree, planning a Fright Night for a few close friends, or having a Monster Mash for your little goblins you’ll have fun making these Creepy, Creative, Fun and Easy Halloween Food Ideas. Create ultimate Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into this Fang-tastic Feast.

HALLOWEEN BORDER 1

Pretzel Spiders

Pretzel Spiders

Shaped into spiders and dusted with poppy seeds, these soft pretzels make a fun Halloween food idea. They are both, tasty and adorable. Get the pretzel recipe and all the details to make them at Will Cook For Smiles.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Monster Eyes

Monster Eyes

Give sausage balls a spooky look by placing a pimiento-stuffed olive in the center of each one. These “eyes” are a fun breakfast treat on Halloween morning. Get the Southern Living recipe and all the details to make them at My Recipes.

Spider Divider Transparent Spider Divider Transparent Spider Divider Transparent

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Candy Corn Rice Krispies Treats

Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats

Make a classic even more fun this Halloween. These cute little Candy Corn Rice Krispie Treats make a fun Halloween snack and/or treat! Get the recipe and all the details to make them at Yummy Healthy Easy.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. candy corn rice krispie treats

For a Brach’s Indian Corn inspired treat, dip the large end in melted dark chocolate.  Be sure to use candy coating chocolate. This kind of chocolate coating doesn’t require tempering, so you can melt in the microwave, dip, and let it set. Otherwise, you’ll need to temper the chocolate or keep the treats in the refrigerator.

Candy Corn and Jack-o-Lantern Divider Candy Corn and Jack-o-Lantern Divider Candy Corn and Jack-o-Lantern Divider

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. fun halloween food

Super Easy & Healthy Halloween Treats

Each one of these treats will take you less than 5 minutes to make. They are really, really simple and require just a few ingredients that you most likely already have at home. So even if you have unexpected guests for Halloween, you can surprise them with these scary snacks. Get all the details to make them at FabLunch.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Creepy Pizza Hands

Creepy Pizza Hands

What is Halloween without something creepy? So hi, creepy bloody, burnt pizza hands!! These hand-shaped pizzas are perfect for Halloween. Get all the details to make them at Kitchen @ Hoskins.

Bat Divider Transparent 2 Transparent Bat Bat Divider Transparent

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Melted Witches

Melted Witches

These melted witch cookies made from Betty Crocker® peanut butter cookie mix, Bugles® snacks, and cocoa candy melts are a bewitching Halloween dessert! Get all the details to make them at Betty Crocker.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Wizard Of Oz Wicked Witch Melting Witch Brownie

Instead of Bugles you can make an easy witches hat with a Keebler® Fudge Stripes Cookie, Orange Frosting, and Hershey Kiss. Just place a dollop of orange icing on the Fudge side of the Cookie and place the Kiss on top. For a melted Wizard of Oz Wicked Witch, you can heat a canister of vanilla icing in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir in a few drops of green food coloring, and spoon over the cookie before adding the hat and broom. Melting witches are also fun on top of cupcakes and brownies. Check out the cool ones at Big Bear’s Wife. That’s where the frosting suggestion came from, too.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Halloween ghost cupcakes

Ghost Cupcakes

I know Halloween is about being scary, but these ghost cupcakes are just too cute to scare anyone. Get all the details on how to make these egg-free and dairy-free one’s check out Nerdy Momma. Also, check them out at Leite’s Culinaria. They have an easy recipe using fondant and edible ink for the ghost. You’ll love with how fast these Easy Ghost Cupcakes come together. 

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Bone Chillin Breadsticks

Bone Chillin Breadsticks

When little trick-or-treaters are chilled to the bone, warm them up with hot Bone Chillin Breadsticks fresh from the oven! Break one of these bones, and they’re ready for dippin in a hip Halloween dip! Get all the details to make them and the Halloween Cheese Dip at Rhodes Bake-N-Serv.

Bone Divider

Easy Mini-Donut Spiders

Easy Mini-Donut Spiders

Looking for a fun, easy Halloween craft you can do with your kids that won’t take a lot of prep time? These cute mini donut spiders are easy to put together and don’t take too many supplies. Get all the details to make them at It’s Always Autumn.

Brownie Spiders

Brownie Spiders

Cute little brownie “spiders” will make your Halloween all the sweeter! All you need is a pan of brownies (or a box of brownie Little Bites), some chocolate chips or chocolate, chow mein noodles, some candy eyes, and you’re good to go. Get all the details to make them at Gimme Some Oven.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. 13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Munster Marshmallows

Munster Marshmallows

This Halloween marshmallow project is a fun activity with the kids or for your inner kid. You’ll be surprised at how easy and effective this is-plus the results are delicious! Get all the details to make them at Not Quite Nigella.

13 Fun & Easy Halloween Food Ideas - Eat, Drink and Be Scary: Your little goblins will love these creepy, creative, and fun Halloween food ideas. Halloween snacks and party appetizers that Dracula himself will want to sink his teeth into. Frankenstein Marshmallow Pops

Frankenstein Marshmallow Pops

These are scary marshmallows, people. SCARY. They should make you want to cry in fear. If you’re seriously crushing on these creepy Halloween marshmallow pops, get all the details to make them at Just a Taste.

Spider Web Transparent Divider

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Filed Under: Halloween, Parties, Recipes Tagged With: Bats, Candy, Candy Corn, Fun Food, Ghost, Halloween, Halloween Food, Halloween2018, Monster, Munster, Party, Party Ideas, Party Planning, Pizza, Spider, Witch, Wizard, Wizard Of Oz

SunRype Fruit-To-Go fruit strips are the Healthy On Go Snack

October 6, 2017 By Paula 1 Comment

SunRype Fruit to Go Fruit Strips Healthy Snack Trick-Or-Treat

Reach for SunRype Fruit-To-Go fruit strips, when you need a healthy snack on the go.

About this healthy fruit strips snack product

  • 100% Fruit Strips
  • NO artificial colors, flavors or preservatives
  • Gluten-FREE
  • Peanut-FREE
  • Vegan and Kosher
  • All sugars come naturally from fruit and fruit juices.
  • Available in Strawberry, Strawberry Watermelon, Apple Strawberry, Apple Strawberry Watermelon, Apple Raspberry, Wildberry, and Berry Mania

SunRype Fruit to Go Fruit Strips Healthy Snack Trick-Or-Treat

Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, No added sugar, and Vegan Healthy Fruit Strips

Top Allergens Not Included: Committed to making sure you have access to information you need to make informed decisions about our food & beverage products is why SunRype ensures that any of the top nine allergens (peanuts, tree nuts, sesame seeds, milk, eggs, wheat, soy, sulphites, fish, and shellfish) will be clearly listed on their product labels. 
.
Natural Ingredients: SunRype sources their ingredients from around the world to find the best manufacturers of the highest quality 100% fruit juice concentrates and purees for their wide variety of 100% fruit snacks. By sourcing internationally they are able to ensure that your favorite SunRype products are available year-round.

SunRype Fruit to Go Fruit Strips Healthy Snack Trick-Or-Treat

SunRype Fruit-To-Go: The Healthy On Go Snack Fruit Strips

On a recent trip to town, we found a display of SunRype fruit to go and grabbed a few of them to try while we waited for our two boxes of the healthy snacks to arrive. Expecting to find the shoe leather of my youth inside the wrapper, I was pleasantly surprised when I bit into a soft and chewy strip. We love that SunRype has managed to capture all the delicious goodness of some of our favorite fruits and put them in these easy to travel bars. In addition to the convenience, they did it without them being overly processed. Fruit is naturally sweet and flavorful. It does not need a lot added to it to make it taste good and these bars only have what is necessary to make them travel ready added.

If you are looking for a healthy treat to give out to trick-or-treaters, these SunRype fruit-to-go fruit strips would make a great alternative to giving out candy on Halloween. This is what we will be handing out this year. I know that my grandchildren are hoping that we don’t get many Halloween visitors because they would love finding one these tucked into their lunchbox. 

SunRype Fruit to Go Fruit Strips Healthy Snack Trick-Or-Treat

Look for SunRype online or in the Produce Department at your local grocer.

Here are some Amazon coupon codes for SunRype fruit strips snacks!

BUY 2 CASES OF SUNRYPE FRUIT STRIPS GET $5 OFF – USE CODE: SUNRYPE5

GET 10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE SUNRYPE FRUIT STRIPS ORDER – USE CODE: SUNRYP10

Click Here To Go To The SunRype Amazon Shop

Coupon Codes Expire: December 31, 2017

 Click Here for Where to Find SunRype fruit-to-go fruit strips locally

Win a Trip to See Disney·Pixar Coco Movie Premiere - Enter by 10/20/17

If you haven’t already entered to WIN a trip for 4 to LA to see the Disney·Pixar Coco movie premiere in Hollywood, be sure to enter the sweepstake by 10/20/17. 

SunRype & Disney●Pixar's Coco Prize Package Weekly Giveaway

Be sure to watch for the SunRype & Disney●Pixar’s Coco weekly prize packages that will be up for grabs from October 23rd to November 24th, 2017.

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Filed Under: Food and Drink, Halloween, Review Tagged With: Coco, Enter To Win, Fruit, Halloween, Healthy, Movie, Pixar, PixarCoco, Review, School Lunch, Snack, Sweeps, Sweepstake, Sweepstakes, Trick or Treat, Trip

Learn about Halloween, Legend of Stingy Jack, and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern

September 29, 2017 By Paula 19 Comments

Halloween Moon - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Join us as we explore Halloween, the Legend of Stingy Jack, and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern.

Every October, carved pumpkins stand guard on porches and doorsteps in the United States and other parts of the world. These gourd-like orange fruits inscribed with ghoulish faces and illuminated by candles are a sure sign that the Halloween season is here. Have you ever wondered how did this tradition started? The practice originated from an Irish myth about a man nicknamed “Stingy Jack.”  

Halloween Moon - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

THE LEGEND OF STINGY JACK

According to Irish folklore, a man called Jack O’Lantern was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. A ghostly figure of the night, O’Lantern walked with a burning coal inside of a carved-out turnip to light his way. As the tale goes, this man called Stingy Jack invited the devil for a drink and convinced him to shape-shift into a coin to pay with. When the devil obliged, Jack decided he wanted the coin for other purposes and kept it in his pocket beside a small, silver cross to prevent the coin from turning back into his original form.

Jack eventually freed the devil under the condition that he wouldn’t bother Jack for one year, and wouldn’t claim Jack’s soul once he died. The next year, Jack tricked the devil once more by convincing him to climb up a tree to fetch a piece of fruit. When he was up in the tree, Jack carved a cross into the trunk so the devil couldn’t come down until he swore he wouldn’t bother Stingy Jack for another ten years.

Halloween - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Soon after, Jack died. God would not allow such an unsavory figure into heaven. The Devil, upset by the trick Jack had played on him and keeping his word not to claim his soul, would not allow Jack into hell. He was instead sent into the eternal night, with a burning coal inside a carved-out turnip to light his way. He’s been roaming the earth ever since. The Irish began to refer to this spooky figure as “Jack of the Lantern,” which then became “Jack O’Lantern.”

Turnip Carving - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

This legend is why people in Ireland and Scotland began to make their own versions of Jack’s lantern by carving grotesque faces into turnips, mangelwurzels, potatoes, and beets, placing them in the windows or near doors of their homes to frighten away Stingy Jack and other wandering evil spirits and travelers.

When the Irish and Scots immigrated to America, bringing the tradition with them, they found that pumpkins, native to America, made perfect fruits for carving. Pumpkin Jack-o-Lanterns have become an integral part of Halloween festivities ever since. Some believe that the Jack-o-Lanterns originated with All Saints’ Day, and represent Christian souls in purgatory. Roaming Stingy Jack is in, after all, what would be considered purgatory.

Halloween Moon - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

HALLOWEEN TODAY

Once this became a Halloween tradition, Jack-o-Lanterns were used as guides for people dressed in costume on Samhain (Oct 31 – Nov 1), a traditional Gaelic version of Halloween, seen as a night when the divide between the worlds of the living and the dead is especially thin. The Samhain festival marks the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the “darker half” of the year. During some Celtic celebrations of Samhain, villagers disguised themselves in costumes made of animal skins to drive away phantom visitors; banquet tables were prepared and edible offerings were left out to placate unwelcome spirits. In later centuries, people began dressing as ghosts, demons, and other malevolent creatures, performing antics in exchange for food and drink. This custom, known as mumming, dates back to the Middle Ages and is thought to be an antecedent of trick-or-treating.

Samhain - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Also, by the ninth century, Christianity had spread into Celtic lands, where it gradually blended with and supplanted older pagan rites. In 1000 A.D. the church designated November 2 as All Souls’ Day, a time for honoring the dead. Celebrations in England resembled Celtic commemorations of Samhain, complete with bonfires and masquerades. Poor people would visit the houses of wealthier families and receive pastries called soul cakes in exchange for a promise to pray for the souls of the homeowners’ dead relatives. Known as souling, the practice was later taken up by children, who would go from door to door asking for gifts such as food, money, and ale.

In Scotland and Ireland, young people took part in a tradition called guising, dressing up in costume and accepting offerings from various households. Rather than pledging to pray for the dead, they would sing a song, recite a poem, tell a joke or perform another sort of “trick” before collecting their treat, which typically consisted of fruit, nuts or coins.

Scotland Guising - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Still another potential trick-or-treating predecessor is the British custom for children to wear masks and carry effigies while begging for pennies on Guy Fawkes Night (also known as Bonfire Night), which commemorates the foiling of the so-called Gunpowder Plot in 1605. On November 5, 1606, Fawkes was executed for his role in the Catholic-led conspiracy to blow up England’s parliament building and remove King James I, a Protestant, from power. On the original Guy Fawkes Day, celebrated immediately after the famous plotter’s execution, communal bonfires, or “bone fires,” were lit to burn effigies and the symbolic “bones” of the Catholic pope. By the early 19th century, children bearing effigies of Fawkes were roaming the streets on the evening of November 5, asking for “a penny for the Guy.”

NYC Trick or Treat - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Trick-or-treating as we know it today—going from house to house in search of candy and other goodies—has been a popular Halloween tradition in the United States and other countries for an estimated 100 years. Yet the origins of this community-based ritual, which costumed children typically savor while their cavity-conscious parents grudgingly tag along, still remains a bit hazy. Today, Americans spend billions annually on Halloween. It is the nation’s second-largest commercial holiday.

 How to Choose the Best Pumpkin Post

How to Choose the Best Pumpkin & Gourds - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Be sure to read How to Choose the Best Pumpkin to make sure you have the most spectacular Jack-o-Lanterns and Pumpkin Pies!

 

THE LEGEND OF STINGY JACK According to Irish folklore, a man called Jack O’Lantern was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. A ghostly figure of the night, O’Lantern walked with a burning coal inside of a carved-out turnip to light his way. As the tale goes... Join us as we explore Halloween, the Legend of Stingy Jack, and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern.
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Filed Under: Education, Halloween, Holidays Tagged With: Education, Halloween, History, Holiday, Jack O'Lantern, Jack-o-Lantern, Learn, Legend, Pumpkin, Stingy Jack, Story, Tale, Teach

How to Choose the Best Pumpkins and Gourds

September 27, 2017 By Paula 17 Comments

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern?

Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo

While you sip on that pumpkin spice latte, consider these unusual and fun pumpkin facts about your favorite fall produce.
The Pumpkin!

  • Pumpkin contains potassium and Vitamin A.
  • The tradition of pumpkin carving originally started with the carving of turnips. When according to Irish folklore, a man called Jack O’Lantern was sentenced to roam the earth for eternity. When the Irish immigrated to the U.S., they found pumpkins plentiful and much easier to carve for their ancient holiday.
  • The flowers are edible.
  • The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds.
  • In early colonial times, pumpkins were used as an ingredient for the crust of pies, not the filling.
  • Six of the seven continents can grow pumpkins including Alaska! Antarctica is the only continent that they won’t grow in.
  • The pumpkin is really a squash. It is a member of the Cucurbita family which includes squash and cucumbers.
  • Native Americans called pumpkins “isqoutm squash.”
  • The name pumpkin originated from the Greek word for “large melon” which is “pepon.”
  • The current world record is held by Mathias Willemijns who grew a pumpkin that weighed in at 2,624.6 pounds (October 9, 2016)

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo

Pumpkins haven’t always been as popular as they are today. In fact, pumpkins were hardly eaten by people for a considerable part of the 19th century. Hard to believe considering pumpkin spice (see recipe) seems to take over our taste buds every fall season. Think of how far this humble gourd has come, when this fall season you snack on your favorite pumpkin treat and sip that pumpkin spice latte. While all pumpkins are edible, the larger ones tend to be stringy and flavorless. However, the seeds are still good and many say the roasted seeds are the best part. I say the pie part is the best! The Mini Pumpkin Pie Tart and Pumpkin Cheesecake parts, too.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo

PUMPKIN PICKING

Depending on the variety, pumpkins can range in size anywhere from tiny to humongous. Selecting which pumpkins you’ll carve for your Halloween Jack-O’-Lanterns depends on what you want to carve on them. While medium-sized ones work best for most of the stencils that you can buy, very large pumpkins can be carved with more elaborate designs. Small pumpkins work great for carving traditional faces and can be carved fast so that you can have a lot of them lined up for lighting sidewalks and pathways or scattered about parties and other spooktacular events.

Once you decide what designs you will be carving into them, make a mental idea of the shapes and sizes of pumpkins you’ll need. Should it be tall and narrow, squat and misshaped, or more rounded? Whatever the shape always select pumpkins that are uniformly orange meaning that they are ripe with have no bruises, cuts, or nicks. If you will be using a stencil select a pumpkin that is close to the size and shape of your stencil. It should also be as smooth as possible, and free of scratches, dents or gouges.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Skull Jack-o-Lantern

Never carry a pumpkin by its stem; it may break off. If the stem does break off, toothpicks can be used to hold it on. If this happens, you can carve the bottom out for the opening the same way you would do the top. Then, you just place your light source on the cleaned bottom piece and set the carved pumpkin over it. Works great and you don’t need the stem for a lid handle! Now, it’s time to decide on which variety you want to purchase. Here’s the list of the varieties we found:

PUMPKIN VARIETIES

Standard Orange Variety:

Grows between 2 to 5 pounds

Baby Bear (small, flattened shape; fine stem)
Baby Pam; Oz (hybrid, very smooth skin, immature yellow color)
Small Sugar or New England Pie (the standard pie type) Flesh is thick, deep yellow, fine-grained, and has a delicious sugar flavor.
Spooktacular (hybrid; bright orange; ribbed)
Sugar Treat (hybrid; bright color)

Grows between 8 to 15 pounds

Autumn Gold (hybrid, yellow when immature)
Bushkin (hybrid)
Frosty (hybrid; smooth-textured skin)
Funny Face (hybrid) 
Harvest Moon (hybrid)
Jack-o-Lantern (heirloom) This round to oblong pumpkin has been bred for making Jack O’ Lanterns, but its flesh makes delicious pies, soups, and muffins, too.
Montana Jack Uniform shape, perfect for carving or pies. Normally the first pumpkins to come out of the field.
Spirit (hybrid, semi-bush)
Young’s Beauty deep orange and slightly ribbed, It’s very thick, meaty interior flesh that is perfect for pies or carving.

Grows between 15 to 25 pounds

Aspen (hybrid, deep orange, uniformly large)
Big Autumn (hybrid, yellow when mature)
Big Tom also know as Connecticut Field
Connecticut Field (the old standard) The perfect shape and it’s flat bottom comes in handy for making a jack o’lantern. Also, excellent for animal feed but not pumpkin pies.
Ghost Rider (dark orange; very dark green stem)
Happy Jack (uniform, dark orange)
Harvest Jack (dark orange; long stem)
Howden Field (the industry standard for the last 20 years) one of the best pumpkins for Halloween carving. This is the one you see at the grocery store. Excellent for pies or roasted seeds, too.
Jackpot (hybrid; round)
Jumpin’ Jack (large, dark orange, heavy, tall)
Ol Zeb’s (heirloom) variety perfect for baking or carving
Pankow’s Field (large, variable pumpkins with exceptionally large, long stems).
Rouge Vif d’Estampes (deep red-orange, flattened, heavily sutured) It was the prototype for Cinderella’s carriage pumpkin and is also known as “Cinderella” pumpkin.

How to Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Choose the Best Pumpkin musquee-de-provence-squash

Types for Canning and Cooking:

Buckskin (hybrid)
Chelsey (hybrid)
Dickinson Field sweet orange high-quality flesh for canning and pies (pumpkin of choice for Libby’s canned pumpkin)
Kentucky Field One of the best canning pumpkins around.
Jarrahdale (heirloom) has a slate blue, ribbed exterior and a deep, delicious orange interior flesh that is dry, stringless, and sweet with a complex flavor.
Winter Luxury (old variety, good for cooking; unique netted skin) Thick flesh and small seed cavity
Musquee De Provence The flesh of this beauty is deep orange, thick, dry and has a very rich complex flavor.
Fairytale (heirloom) Perfect for pies or stands up well in chunks for curry or cream sauce recipes.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Atlantic Giant

Jumbo: Grows to 50 pounds and larger

Atlantic Giant (most true giants come from this variety) Averaging 400 to 500 lbs this is the pumpkin you see on the news around Halloween that takes a forklift to move.
Big Max Get this one if you want to carve the biggest pumpkins on the block or make tons pumpkin pie
Big Moon Add to your garden for a dramatic fall decorating touch. The tender flesh can be used for baking.
Mammoth Gold Great for carving.
Prizewinner Ideal for County Fairs and Exhibitions
Show Winner These giant pumpkins develop in an array of colors, including orange, yellow, grey, blue or green and are great for County Fairs and Exhibitions

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - White Painting

White Painting:

Casper These pumpkins are perfect for carving and with flesh that is super sweet, they are perfect for pies and baking, too.
Lumina Ghostly white pumpkins with delicious orange flesh that stores well.
Snowball High in fiber and essential minerals, their colorful orange flesh signifies an abundance of the antioxidant beta-carotene. These cranium-sized squash cry out to be carved or painted for autumnal decorations.
Little Boo has a smooth, hard white rind and thick, firm flesh walls.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Cushaw

Cushaw Group:

Green-Striped Cushaw also known as the Tennessee sweet potato squash. It is a great display pumpkin and an all-around squash for desserts or vegetable dishes.
Tennessee Sweet Potato (heirloom) winter squash
White Cushaw great for mixed bins, focal centerpieces, or decorations. It is also an excellent variety for cooking.
Golden Cushaw has sweet flesh reminiscent of sweet potatoes and is very high in many nutrients, earning it the highest edibility rating from the group Plants for a Future.

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Naked Seeded Pepitas

Naked Seeded: pepitas

Austria Oil Seed 
Gleisdorfer Naked Seeded 
Kakai Hulless 
Lady Godiva 
Trick or Treat (hybrid, 10 to 12 pounds, good for carving)
Tricky Jack (hybrid; small)
Triple Treat (thick flesh; 6 to 8 pounds; cooks, carves well)

Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo - Miniature

Miniature:

Baby Boo (white) as enjoyable to look at as they are to eat.
Jack-Be-Little (standard orange miniature)
Jack-Be-Quick (taller, darker orange)
Munchkin (uniform, attractive orange)
Sweetie Pie (small, scalloped, medium orange)

How to Choose the Best Pumpkin Post

We didn’t have any idea that there are so many different shapes, sizes, and varieties of pumpkins. Did you?

When shopping for your pumpkin, remember that Jack-O-Lantern type Pumpkins tend to be from the subfamily of pumpkins called “Cucurbita pepo.” Giant ones tend to be from the subfamily of pumpkins called “Cucurbita maxima.” Processing ones, good for pies and eating, tend to be from the subfamily of pumpkins called “Cucurbita moschata.” One place that seems to have a wide variety to choose from is Schaake’s Pumpkin Patch in Kansas. It looks like a fun and exciting place to find the perfect pumpkin. Plus, they offer free admission, hay maze, and hayrides!

Large Halloween Pumpkins are perfectly fine for cooking. However, because they’re so big, they hold a lot of water, and their flavor is spread out across all that bigness and diluted by all that water. These pumpkins have been bred to not have as much flesh inside as other pumpkins whose primary market would be cooking. When you cook with these pumpkins, ideally you want recipes that let you cook some of the water out, concentrating the flavor. Most chefs today say not to cook with these pumpkins at all. But many a person’s

Most chefs today say not to cook with these pumpkins at all. But many a grandma made her pumpkin pies with them, steaming the pumpkin pulp, and then whipping it into pies that were always amazing. Maybe these grandmothers just knew how to create masterpieces with the ingredients they had. Or today’s chefs don’t have something that the grandmothers did — grandchildren who wouldn’t have been satisfied if they couldn’t have picked out the BIGGEST Pumpkins at the store.

How to Choose the Best Pumpkin Post

Halloween Moon - Legend of Stingy Jack O'Lantern and History of Jack-o-Lantern

Now that you know how to choose the best pumpkins and have the most spectacular Jack-o-Lanterns and Pumpkin Pies, be sure to join us as we learn about the Legend of Stingy Jack and the History of the Jack-o-Lantern!

  Canning, Cooking, or Jack-o-Lantern? Learn how to select the best pumpkins and gourds with this buying guide. #Canning #Cooking #JackoLantern #Pumpkin #Baking #Food #Halloween #Thanksgiving #Pie #PumpkinPie #Dessert #Shopping #BuyingGuide #HowTo  
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Filed Under: Christmas, Education, Food and Drink, Food Preparation and Serving, Halloween, Holidays, Thanksgiving Tagged With: Best Pumpkin, Christmas, Gourd, Halloween, Holiday, How-To, Picking, Pumpkin, Thanksgiving, Varieties

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