There are really just endless ideas for the creative uses of pumpkins!! In our previous post we shared some unique decorating ideas. Here are a few more for you to try this fall. There is just something about pumpkins that makes everything feel so cozy!
These ideas are from Better Homes and Gardens at http://www.bhg.com.
Miniature Pumpkin Candleholders
Miniature pumpkins are available in either orange or white. Break off the stem, then insert a small round metal cookie cutter, pounding it down into the pumpkin with a mallet. Carve out the plug by cutting around it with a paring knife. Insert a votive or tall taper candle, wedging these into place if necessary and securing with museum wax.
Floral Pumpkin
Okay, so this one isn’t really a pumpkin, but it was just too cute not to share with you! Both whimsical and elegant, this floral version of a pumpkin was created by carving a block of soaked florist’s foam into a sphere and placing it on a cake stand. Orange mums were cut short (2 to 3 inches), then inserted into the wet foam to cover. A faux stem (a woody branch), a few leaves, and a twine of berries finished off the arrangement.
Pumpkin Stack
Urns and planters make perfect bases for pumpkin topiaries. Simply embellish the towers with bits of garden moss tucked around the pumpkins.
A Unique Vase
This pumpkin was cut in half, then had the cut edges carved into triangles. Inside the bottom half, some damp floral foam helps keep fresh branches and flowers from wilting. Secure the top to the bottom using sturdy skewers or toothpicks.
humanflowerproject.com
Would you like a new way to teach your kids about the spirit of Thanksgiving? Tell them about the origin of the Cornucopia, or Horn of Plenty. We know it as a horn-shaped basket containing the fruits of an abundant harvest. We associate it with Thanksgiving because the first Thanksgiving was just that – a celebration of the first abundant harvest the pilgrims had.
The cornucopia originated in ancient Greece. According to myth, the god Zeus was raised by a goat named Amalthea (It was either that or get eaten by his father who didn’t want competition.). It was one of her horns that was the first cornucopia (corn =
horn + copia = abundance [as in copious]). How the horn got off of her head depends on which story you read, but however it happened, it was filled with fruits and flowers, either as a promise to always provide anything she wanted or as a sign of reverence. As indicated in the cornucopia to the right, the first Thanksgiving table was probably laden with many gourds – including winter squash – since those were a large part of the diet of Native Americans.
Whether or not a goat’s horn was even actually used is doubtful. But it still is filled with fruits, vegetables, and flowers and still represents all the good things about harvest. And it still brings up warm feelings whenever you see one, doesn’t it? Which florists have capitalized on quite well, of course.
Try filling your decorative cornucopia with our “gourdocopia” collection! They make a beautiful fall display and will last for years to come.
Nature's Centerpiece; part of our Gourdicopia Collection
Open House
Hey there, everybody. We just want to remind you about all the fun activities going on at Meadowbrooke Gourds during our Open House all during the month of October. Every weekend has something for everyone and great family adventures. First of all, throughout the month, weekdays as well as weekends, you can pick your own pumpkin and ornamental gourds. These can make beautiful centerpieces and other decorations for the season. Read all about our pumpkin patch in this previous post.
But get there early. They go fast!
Starting tomorrow – Oct. 1st & 2nd – is our much anticipated Oops! Sale. You’ll get fantastic discounts on our beautiful gourds that have minor flaws and defects. (Many flaws you won’t even be able to tell, but they didn’t make our standards to be on the shelf.) This weekend and the 30th we have Gourd Painting classes as well!
Our Own Jack-o'-Edgar
Discover the artist in you on the second and third weekends – Oct. 8th & 9th and Oct. 15th & 16th – when you draw a design and we carve that exact drawing on a gourd to create your own unique Jack-o’-Lantern. And here’s something special: At least one of the best of these will be featured in our 2011 catalog! Your design may be sold nation-wide!
October 22nd & 23rd we will offer tours of or farm, Wagon Rides, and a special Customer Appreciation Sale. You’ll get 25% off anything in our retail store. Perhaps best of all is the bonfire on Saturday evening, featuring live music, an auction, and FREE hotdogs and soda. Download the flier so you know what’s going on when. We’ll remind you, too, as each weekend approaches. If you’re not already a member of our Facebook Fan Page, we will be updating with pictures from our open house events! We are also running a Facebook contest throughout the month of October.
We hope to see you this weekend!
learnsomethingnewtoday.us
A turnip. No, seriously. It comes from an old Irish myth (Aren’t all myths old? Are there any new myths?) about a guy named Stingy Jack and a none-too-bright, but quite trustworthy, Devil. Here’s a link to one of the versions of the legend, and here’s another one, and there are many more.
The upshot is that Jack couldn’t get into either Heaven or Hell and was doomed to roam the dark of the night forever, with only a coal to light his way, which Jack carried in a hollowed-out turnip. So, he became know as Jack of the Lantern, or Jack o’ Lantern. So, the first Jack o’ Lantern was not a pumpkin, or a gourd of any kind, but a turnip, which, we must assume, grew larger in those days. They also used potatoes and beets, until they came to this country and figured out pumpkins were a lot easier to carve. Of course, we here at Meadowbrooke Gourds make them out of gourds, like these.
All Hallow’s Eve was the Celtic New Year’s Eve. They believed that on that night, the veil between the world of the living and the world of the dead was
The Casper Family
quite thin, so the spirits could walk the earth then. The celebrations to appease the spirits turned into most of the Halloween customs of today.
By the way, the name “pumpkin” is derived from the French term for “large melon.”
Decorating for fall is one of the most exciting times of the year for us here at Meadowbrooke Gourds! Gourds & pumpkins are naturally a huge part of the season and we always try to come up with new and interesting ways we can craft our gourds and decorate our own homes.
Especially with the addition of our pumpkin patch this year, we have been searching out new, fun ways to decorate with pumpkins this fall! Of course, Jack O’ Lanterns are a must, but we found these great ideas from marthastewart.com for decorating with pumpkins in a unique way!
Pumpkin Pie Potpourri: Beautiful and functional! Cut off the top of a pumpkin and scrape out the innards; carve round vents with an apple corer. Rub cinnamon or pumpkin-pie spices onto the lid, or push cloves into it. With a lighted tealight candle inside, the pumpkin will give off a lovely fragrance for about six hours.
Starburst Pumpkin Sconces: These are so unique and lovely! Three perfectly round pumpkins are carved with a beautifully rendered
starburst pattern that is reminiscent of a Tiffany-style lamp. Then they are fitted with small scallop-edged tops and displayed on small bracket shelves. The elegant lights radiate softly, casting flickering shadows up the wall. Martha Stewart has step-by-step instructions with photos on her website, which are simple and easy to follow. She also has a template for carving the scalloped edge.
Glittered Pumpkin Table Decorations: This stunning table display is easy to make and lasts longer 
than a Jack O’ Lantern. This project also works very well with decorative gourds! All you have to do is spread a layer of white glue over the surface of a small pumpkin with a paintbrush. (Place pumpkin on a paper plate or newspaper to catch excess glitter.) Then, sprinkle the glitter over the glue, covering it completely. Let the pumpkin dry for about an hour then shake off the excess. These pumpkins will keep for months!
If you have other pumpkin decorating ideas, we’d love to hear them!
Meadowbrooke Gourds pumpkin patch
It’s time to start getting excited about pumpkins again! Fall decorating is not complete without pumpkins! Not to mention, Halloween will be upon us sooner than you think, and we all need our jack o’ lanterns to scare away the restless spirits that prowl the night on All Hallows Eve. The holiday has a truly fascinating history, and we will share some of that with you, but first things first. You’ve got to get your pumpkin.
For the first time, this year we are offering you the chance to pick your own pumpkin!
And you won’t be picking from pumpkins piled up on tables and in boxes. You’ll go out into our pumpkin patch and pick one right off the vine. You can combine trips and pick a pumpkin at our Oops! Sale the first weekend in October.
The 2nd and 3rd weekends of the Open House would be perfect, too, since they’re Create your Own Jack o’ Lantern weekends. Of course, those jack o’ lanterns will be made from dried gourds, like the martin and the bottle gourds, but still…
And you can’t beat the prices! They’ll run about $1–6. Get each of your kids their own pumpkin! Get one for the dog, too. 
