Fall season means dried leaves on the ground, pumpkin spiced latte, picking apples and pumpkins, wearing your favorite sweater, and maybe renting a cabin in the woods. But one thing is for sure. There’s no fall without pumpkins.
If you have a few pumpkins after Halloween and are clueless about what to do with them, your best idea may be to burn them in your fire pit and spend quality time with family and friends dancing around the flames. While this is a good idea, things can quickly go wrong if not done right.
This article tells you all about how to burn pumpkins in a fire pit and how to do so. You also learn how to use your leftover pumpkins after the festive period.
Can You Burn Pumpkins In A Fire Pit?
Of course, you can burn pumpkins in your fire pit, but for safety reasons, it is advised that you don’t. Over the years, there has been a tradition of burning pumpkins in an open fire, and while fire pits were never used, you can certainly use them as a substitute to roast pumpkins.
The major problem with burning pumpkins is the destruction that follows. Keeping a whole pumpkin in an open flame will cause an explosion, endangering people nearby.
A pumpkin is made of water, and when it is dunked into flames, the water heats up, and the pressure builds inside it. Soon the pumpkin will not be able to contain the building pressure and will explode on impact. Exploding pumpkins caused a few cases of destruction and harm.
How To Burn Pumpkins In A Fire Pit
It is clear that the best way to burn pumpkins is not by putting a whole of it in a fire pit, so how exactly can you burn pumpkins in a fire pit? For safety reasons, you can only burn pumpkins in extinguished fires. You can follow the steps below to burn pumpkins in your fire pit.
- Ensure you use a stone, concrete, or metal fire pit. Propane fire pits are not suitable for this task.
- After burning your fuel, ensure all flames have been extinguished, leaving you with glowing embers.
- Place your pumpkins on the hot ashes and watch them gradually burn
- This method is safe and prevents the pumpkins from getting everywhere
Read also: Can you roast marshmallows on a gas fire pit?
Uses of Pumpkins
After Halloween, there will be pumpkins everywhere, and instead of burning them or throwing them away, you can use them for different things. Don’t know what to use your pumpkins for? Below are some essential ways they can be helpful to you.
Remove the insides
If your pumpkin is still fresh, you can use them to prepare various delicacies like pumpkin pie, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin brownies, and pumpkin soup.
Before baking these pastries, you will need to make a pumpkin puree with the insides. To make the puree, cut the pumpkin in half and remove the insides containing the pulp and seeds.
You will now be left with the hardback. Please put it in a baking dish and bake for about 45 minutes. Remove the skin after baking and blend into a puree.
You can store this puree in your freezer for months. This way, it will be available for every new recipe you have.
Remove the seeds and boil the gut.
When making the puree, you scooped out the pulp and seeds. Well, now you have to separate the seeds from the pulp. Boil the pulp in some water for about 10 minutes and strain it. You can use the liquid to prepare tasty soups and casseroles.
Use seeds to garnish your food.
Pumpkin seeds have many health benefits, including reduced risk of cancer, improved bladder, and heart health, improved sleep, and lowered blood sugar levels.
After separating the seeds from the pulp, rinse and dry them. When dried, you can use them to flavor smoothies, cereals, salads, soups, and pastries.
Use as Bird Food
The pumpkin seeds can be used as bird food, so if you enjoy leisurely feeding them or have a bird for a pet, you can use these seeds as a substitute for their meal. You can also use this opportunity to create a bird feeder in your yard to attract some animals.
Facial and body treatment
The Enzymes in pumpkin pulp can dissolve dead skin cells and act as a natural exfoliant that cleanses the pores on your skin.
It means you get a complimentary spa treatment in the comfort of your home. It also contains other nutrients like Vitamin K, zinc, vitamin c, and vitamin B6, which are suitable for the skin.
Plant some flowers
Do you love decorating your yard? You can empty a pumpkin by scooping the pulp and seeds to leave behind the hollow shell.
Fill it with good soil and plant some fall flowers like asters, canna lilies, sunflowers, and purple pansies. You can arrange these flowers along your walkway or create a unique pattern in your yard or patio.
Fancy coolers
Are you having some guests and need somewhere to cool beers and drinks? You can empty a pumpkin, wash the inside and fill it halfway with ice. Keep your drinks inside the ice-filled pumpkin and let them cool before serving them to guests.
Conclusion
If you’ve had enough of all the pumpkins during the fall season, then your first motive is to burn them down or throw them away, and if you are considering burning them, you may want to use your fire pit to do so.
This article shows you how to burn pumpkins safely in your fire pit and what not to do when attempting this task.
Helpful links:
- What to do with Fire Pit Ashes
- How to Use Bokashi tea
- What to do with Dirt Backyard
- How Much Does it Cost to Remove a Palm Tree
- Do Biodegradable Grass Seed Mats Work
If you didn’t know some uses of pumpkins, then after reading this post, you should know some of them, then maybe you would change your mind about burning your pumpkins.
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