For many families, packing up the kids and heading the local pumpkin farm in October is part of a family tradition. You head out there, select your perfect gourd, and drag it home to cut scary faces and images into it. However, you can find so many other uses for these orange vegetables besides decorating your front doorstep on Halloween.

Prior to Halloween

Before Halloween comes along, most people will start cutting into those pumpkins to create the iconic jack-o-lantern. To do this, the first step is to remove the top and scoop out the fruit and seeds. Most people just discard these into the trash. However, they can be used for a variety of things.

Keep the fruit, and you can use it to make your own pies, breads, and other pumpkin-flavored favorites. Keep the seeds and toast them in the oven for a delicious and healthy snack.

To make sure that your pumpkin stays in peak perfection until Halloween, you simply need to be careful how you store it. Cool, dry places are the best for them (so your front porch is ideal as long as it has not gotten below freezing or is exceptionally rainy). Also, wait to carve your pumpkin for as long as possible to keep it fresh, especially if you are hoping to use the fruit. Also, keep carved pumpkins away from heat and direct sunlight to slow down the decay process.

Using pumpkins after Halloween

Halloween lasts but a day, but you can continue to use pumpkins into November if you would like. Pumpkin is one of the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving, whether it be in pies or breads or other treats. Plain pumpkins can also work well in decorating for the November holiday as well.

Having your pumpkin play double duty

Used properly, you can use pumpkins from September through November (instead of just a week or two in October) as decorations. Consider using plain, undecorated pumpkins in your displays – and create spookily-masked scarecrows or flying ghosts and witches to convert them to Halloween use. Remove the spooks and you have a harvest scene appropriate for the rest of fall.

If you absolutely want to decorate your pumpkin for Halloween, consider pumpkin painting. You can paint your pumpkin with your favorite creepy monster or scene. Once Halloween is over, you can then either use the fruit inside the pumpkin for your Thanksgiving eats, or repaint the pumpkin with something more appropriate and use it as a Thanksgiving centerpiece or decorative item. Remember, the longer you wait to carve your pumpkin, the fresher it will keep. So if you do not carve your pumpkin at all, you can easily use it throughout the whole fall.

Pumpkins and their warm orange hues are symbolic not just of Halloween but of fall and harvest in general. This year, instead of just looking for that ideal jack-o-lantern, consider using your pumpkin for more than just Halloween and get double the use and fun for your money.

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Paul Hulse writes for the Costumes online retailer InCostume .com. Please visit their site for more information on Couples Costumes