A Failed Experiment With Pumpkin

Every once in a while, more often than I would like to admit, I attempt to do something that does not quite work out. In the interest of full disclosure, I will write about those as well as my successes. A couple of weeks ago, I suffered a failure with a pumpkin.

Last month we carved two pumpkins for Halloween.

I bought these little sweet pumpkins when I bought the large pumpkins. Sweet pumpkins are better for baking. Before I cooked them, I used them as decoration. When I made my wreaths out of leaves, I put the leftover leaves in a bowl with some gourds and put the pumpkins around them.

A couple of weeks ago, I decided to try to make pumpkin muffins with my sweet pumpkins. I baked them and pureed the flesh. I froze about four cups of pumpkin to cook later and made muffins with the rest. The muffins were delicious, and I cannot wait to make more. Here is where the inspiration for the muffins came from. Thank you Ally!

However, there was one pumpkin that rotted before I was able to make the muffins. My original plan was was to put it in the compost, then I thought that I could just put it in the garden and let it rot there and go to seed. I envisioned pumpkin plants sprouting next spring from the remains. What I did not envision was a squirrel or some other vermin snacking on my moldy gourd. But that is what happened, and I should have known that is what would happen because the same critter munched on my Jack O’Lanterns as well.

So, I will not have pumpkin plants in the garden next year unless I plant some in the spring, but somewhere in the neighborhood there is a very happy Chip or Dale.

Happy Homemaking!