You can find a plethora of local  pumpkins all throughout Valley Natural Foods this week.

They are lounging  in front of the checkout lanes, outside the store,  in deli, in produce and you can even find some carved ones behind the checkouts!

In full  harvest  spirit, all Valley Natural Foods departments have used their creative talents to carve these pumpkins for your visual enjoyment.  Be sure to vote for your favorite and be inspired to get your own pumpkin to carve this season! We have a limited supply and they are only $4.99 each! Not sure how to carve a pumpkin? Well, we have some easy tips to follow below.

At the Education Kiosk this week (located just beyond our produce dept) we will show you even more things you can do with pumpkins. Enter to win a pumpkin at the Education Kiosk this week. A drawing will be held on Saturday, October 22nd during our Pumpkin Day demonstration- you need not be present to win.

Thursday, October 20, 3:00-6:00 p.m.: Down in the Valley Bakehouse Gluten-Free & Dairy-Free Pumpkin Pie and Gluten-Free Quinoa Autumn Casserole

We will sample our Down in the Valley Bakehouse pumpkin pie, which will be available in our frozen section by Monday, Oct. 24. Gluten-free Down in the Valley Bakehouse pie shells will be available in our frozen section by the end of next week (Oct. 28). Come by to try this holiday favorite-you won’t believe it is gluten-free.   We will be using the pumpkin’s cousin, the butternut squash, to prepare our quinoa casserole. The quinoa casserole also includes chick peas and chicken broth.

Saturday, October 22, noon-3:00 p.m.: Pumpkin Day!

We have a variety of delightful pumpkin dishes for you to try including spicy  pumpkin moroccan  soup, pumpkin pie using Grandma Ferdon’s frozen pie crusts and Farmer’s Market brand canned pumpkin and baked pumpkin seeds using Eden’s Selected ume plum vinegar. We will also be sampling Blackbarn Bakery’s gluten-free pumpkin cookie mixes.

Save on Eden’s Selected ume plum vinegar, Farmer’s Market canned pumpkin, Blackbarn Bakery’s gluten-free pumpkin mixes and more with these online coupons. Coupons are good through October 25, 2011.

Pumpkin Carving Tips:

1.  Hollowing out the pumpkin

• Cut a hole in the top of the pumpkin if you will be using a candle for illumination  (always place a candle in a high-sided glass container, never leave unattended).
• Cut a hole in the bottom of the pumpkin if you will be using electric lights so you can hide the cord.
• Cut the lid at an angle.  This makes sure the outside diameter is larger than the inside, preventing the top from falling inside the pumpkin.
• Scoop out flesh, pulp and seeds with a plastic scraper or ice cream scooper.

2. Selecting a design for your pumpkin

• If you are not artistically inclined, find a pumpkin design template!  Free pumpkin printable templates can be found all over the Internet. In particular,  Martha Stewart has some fun simple-intermediate designs for any age,  Disney offers some fun character templates for kids and HGTV offers more advanced templates for those who really know how to carve.
• Draw or trace your design with a water-based marker.  Mistakes are easily erased.

3.  Carving

• Buy a carving kit!  You may think this is a waste of money but in reality, it is safer for kids.  Kits contain serrated knives that are made for carving. Regular knives may be dull and cause unwanted accidents.
• Always keep a portion of the knife blade into the pumpkin and use slow, steady cutting movements. Always hold the knife at a right angle and carve away from yourself. Kids require adult supervision.
• Carve  facial features located in the center of the pumpkin first and work outward. Large features should be cut in sections.
• Carefully  push finished carved pieces into or out of the pumpkin.
• The tip of a potato peeler can be used for curves.
• An X-Acto knife ( adults only or with careful adult supervision) can be used for tiny details.
• Instead of carving, you can give small children stickers, paint or markers to decorate their pumpkins.
• If using a candle for illumination, make sure the design holes provide adequate ventilation.

3. Jack-o-Lantern Preservation

• Use vegetable oil to cover all cut surfaces or cover with a damp towel when not on display

 

Tags: education kiosk, pumpkins

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 19th, 2011 at 12:39 pm and is filed under Education, Healthy Updates Newsletter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.