Waterloo farm says people can find purpose for pumpkins past peak season
A Waterloo, Ont. farm says people can find a purpose for pumpkins beyond Halloween by bringing the pumpkin patch to their plate.
Good Family Pumpkins says to think twice before taking the pumpkin off your front porch and bringing it to the trash.
"The orange ones are a little tougher and can tolerate a little more cold weather and frost," said Karen Good, the farm's co-owner.
Oct. 31 is considered the end of pumpkin season, but people can still find a tasty use for them.
"Making muffins or loaves or cakes or pies," said Good.
Roasting the seeds are also a great option, she says.
Good adds the key is bringing pumpkins that haven’t been carved or painted inside before it becomes too cold and they get soft.
Then people can dice or purée them, and store in the freezer.
"People want to stock up for the winter," Good says.
Pumpkins are used as a key ingredient in some winter meals that are sure to warm you up, she says.
"I've heard people make soup out of every kind of pumpkin we sell," Good said.
"And if you wanted it a little bit on the savoury side, what you can do is season it and just add it to soups and stews, which is absolutely delicious," said chef Emily Richards.
Richards also suggests cutting the pumpkin into larger chunks in order to sauté it in a skillet with oil, garlic and seasoning. Then add tomato sauce for a nice compliment to a main dish.
"We had it tossed with pasta or even just as a side dish with roast pork or beef," Richards said.
DON'T FORGET THE SQUASH
Squash is also a fan favourite at Good Family Pumpkins.
They have many varieties, which will be sold at their roadside stand well into November.
"The jester, the celebration or carnival squash, starry night," Good said, rhyming off some types of squash they have.
In many recipes, pumpkin is interchangeable with squash.
And it's a food the Good family encourages people to have a year-round relationship with.
"Every day, almost. Almost every day we eat squash," said Good, chuckling.
Click here to check out some of the pumpkin-related recipes chef Emily Richards developed.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Auston Matthews skates ahead of Game 7, status unclear with season on the line
Auston Matthews was back on the ice with his teammates Saturday.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Russia puts Ukrainian President Zelenskyy on its wanted list
Russia has put Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on its wanted list, Russian state media reported Saturday, citing the interior ministry’s database.
Snakes almost on a plane: U.S. TSA discovers a bag with small snakes in passenger's pants
According to an X post by the Transportation Security Administration, officers at the Miami International Airport found the small bag of snakes hidden in a passenger's trousers on April 26 at a checkpoint.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.