By Corinne DeVries, Ryan McCormick, Benita Mehta, Lauren Phillips and Jacqueline WayneGuite
The State News
Pumpkin Web sites that rock
www.fabulousfoods.com/holidays/ halloween/pumpplans2.html
This site has some fun free pumpkin-carving patterns for those who want a likeness of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Jim Morrison or various other rock stars on their pumpkins.
Check this out if you want tips on how to have a rockin' Halloween party, but everything on the site requires money so this might not be the best if you're on a budget.
Have some fun perusing this site. It takes the art of pumpkin carving to a whole new level with power tools. Some of the best features include photos of interesting pumpkin carving experiments, information on creating your own "extreme pumpkin," free downloadable patterns for people who don't want a typical jack-o'-lantern. The site also includes a bunch of creative ways to scare trick or treaters.
This Web site is for Halloween fans of all ages and has plenty of information on the history of Halloween, ideas for Halloween parties and costumes, a list of Halloween party games (these could be easily converted to drinking games for college parties), interesting links to other Halloween-themed sites and plenty of info on carving pumpkins such as tips, how to get started and how to make pumpkins last.
Where to buy Pumpkins
Most sources said pumpkins ranging from 18 to 30 pounds are good for carving.
"It's a bigger pumpkin. It gives you a little more room to carve it," said Chris Kielber, Goodrich's Shop-Rite produce manager. "The heavier they are, the better they are."
Mike Beck, president of Uncle John's Cider Mill, said to pick ones that have bright orange flesh and a thick stem.
"If there (are) some rotten pits that are mushy, I'd stay away from it," he said.
Beck also said to store pumpkins in a cool, dry place such as a garage or dorm room until you are ready to use it to make it last longer.
Goodrich's Shop-Rite
940 Trowbridge Road
15-20 pound pumpkins: $3.99 each
Home Depot
1749 Newman Road in Okemos
20-22 pound pumpkins: $3.99 each
Bag of gourds and mini pumpkins: $3.99-4.99
Mini pumpkins: $.99 each
Price guarantee to beat competitors prices by 10 percent.
Meijer
1350 W. Lake Lansing Road
2055 W. Grand River Ave. in Okemos
About 20-pound pumpkins: $2.88 each
Uncle John's Cider Mill
8614 N. US 127 in St. John's
Pumpkins ranging in size from 1 to 2 pounds up to 600-800 pounds.
20-30 pounds are most popular.
$.30 per pound
20-acre pumpkin patch
Orange ale and other seducing treats
Buffalo Bill's Brewery in Hayward, Calif., has been brewing its own pumpkin ale for the last 15 years, said John Carbone, brewer and manager at the restaurant and brewery.
"It's made with real pumpkin," Carbone said. "I actually carve up and roast real pumpkin in our pizza ovens and mash it in like I would in an amber ale."
Carbone said the beer is very popular, so popular that the brewery receives calls from people year-round who want to know when the seasonal beer will be available.
One of the reasons people enjoy the flavor so much is because "it's sweet and spicy at the same time," Carbone said.
To make the pumpkin ale, Carbone first mashes malted barley after it is properly heated. The starches in the barley then ferment into sugars, from which he extracts sweet wort, the liquid produced by the fermentation. Carbone brings the sweet wort to a boil, adds hops (used for bitterness, flavor, and aroma), cinnamon, nutmeg and clove, and puts the whole concoction into an inoculation vessel with yeast, starting the fermentation process. The process can take anywhere from 48 to 72 hours to complete.
"It's about two to three weeks before the beer goes into somebody's glass," Carbone said.
Other places to get pumpkin concoctions:
Starbucks Coffee Company, 401 E. Grand River Ave.
Prices for Pumpkin Spice Latte: Tall, $3.10, Grande, $3.65, Venti: $3.95.
Bruegger's Bagels, 505 E. Grand River Ave. Tube of pumpkin cream cheese: $2.99. Bagel with pumpkin cream cheese on it: $2.10
Carve your pumpkin to this mix
You won't find any cheesy Halloween songs like "Monster Mash" on this mix. None of these songs are specifically about Halloween: Some have lyrics that relate to Halloween, some are old and some are newer, some are just plain creepy, but they're all guaranteed to rock and perfect to put you in the Halloween spirit.
1. "Sympathy For The Devil" by The Rolling Stones
2. "Living Dead Girl" by Rob Zombie
3. "The End" by The Doors
4. "Little Ghost" by The White Stripes
5. "I Put A Spell On You" by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
6. "Dead Souls" by Joy Division
7. "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" by Blue ?yster Cult
8. "Red Right Hand" by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds
9. "Down by the Water" by PJ Harvey
10. "Bark At The Moon" by Ozzy Osbourne
11. "We Only Come Out At Night" by The Smashing Pumpkins
12. "Scary Monsters (And Super Creeps)" by David Bowie
13. "Psycho Killer" by Talking Heads
14. "Pet Sematary" by The Ramones
15. "Welcome To My Nightmare" by Alice Cooper
16. "Lullaby" by The Cure
Impossibly Easy Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
1 cup canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie mix)
1/2 cup all-purpose baking mix
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon butter or margarine, softened
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
Whipped cream
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350?F. Grease 9-inch pie plate.
2. Stir all ingredients except whipped topping until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 35-40 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 30 minutes. Refrigerate about three hours or until chilled. Serve with whipped cream. Store covered in refrigerator.
Source: Betty Crocker
Pumpkin seeds
Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Wash pumpkin seeds after taking them out of pumpkin. Melt 1/2 stick of butter in large bowl, mix pumpkin seeds in. Spread seeds on a baking tray, sprinkle with desired amount of salt, cook until toasted. Let cool, enjoy!
FREAKY FACTOIDS
About 43.6 percent of Americans ages 18-24 plan to carve pumpkins for Halloween 2005, according to a National Retail Federation survey.
They also estimate Americans will spend $840 million on Halloween decorations this year, or about $12.35 per person.
Their survey, "2005 Halloween Consumer Intentions and Actions Survey," which included 8,106 people, revealed Halloween as the second most popular holiday for decorating. Christmas is the first.
According to the survey, about 59.8 percent of consumers plan to purchase decorations and almost half, 47 percent, expect to decorate their home or yard.
The survey also revealed an expected $3.29 billion will be spent during Halloween this year, up 5.4 percent from 2004, when the number was $3.12 billion. The National Retail Federation expects the increase in spending to come from young adults.
The survey also shows that the average person expects to spend $48.48 on merchandise, up about $5 from 2004's $43.57.
