How to pick the best pumpkin in the patch

With Halloween just around the corner, visiting the pumpkin patch at your nearest u-pick farm may be in order. You can take a hayride, wander through a corn maze, eat your fill of apple cider donuts and, most importantly, choose the perfect pumpkin. Here’s how to find it.

• Look at the color. Find one that’s a deep and even orange tone, with no yellow or green patches.

• Knock on it. Pumpkins should sound hollow when tapped.

• Check the stem. It shouldn’t be soft or feel loose in any way.

• Inspect it. The bottom should be flat enough to provide a stable base, and the entire pumpkin should be firm.

If you’re planning to carve or paint your pumpkin, make sure the one you choose has a pleasing shape with no strange bumps or spots. If they’re available, consider coming home with a blue, white or green pumpkin instead of an orange one. They’re just as tasty and make a striking fall display.

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Use every part of your pumpkin
You might already know you can roast and then eat the seeds of your pumpkin and use the sweet flesh in all sorts of recipes, but did you know that you can eat the skin too?

Make pumpkin skin chips by peeling long strips of skin with a potato peeler, seasoning with salt, pepper and olive oil, and baking in the oven at 350 °F for 25 minutes or until crispy. They make a great topping for soup and are delicious on their own as a snack.
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