You may remember we had a similar posta few weeks ago on one of the season’s favorite fruits, apples, but as October is now in full swing and Halloween is right around the corner, we decided to feature another star of the fall season- pumpkins! Anywhere you turn these days, there are colorful pumpkins in all different shapes and sizes, and the best part of pumpkin season is that if you don’t have time to cook or bake with them, you can display one on your front porch or inside your home for the quintessential fall decoration.

We’ve rounded up some great ideas for maximum pumpkin usage, from decorating to baking to centerpieces, so grab some up and try these out!

Painting Pumpkins: If you have little ones and carving pumpkins is just too messy, you can still give a pumpkin some pizazz with a touch of paint or glitter! This year, it seems as though chevron painted pumpkins are all the rage, and pretty easy, too! Use masking tape to get the desired lines and paint in between for a trendy look.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds: Carving a pumpkin does have more perks than just a cute decoration, it provides you with lots and lots of seeds! Once you untangle the seeds from all the stringy pumpkin, clean them off, sprinkle with cinnamon & sugar or spice it up with garlic & chili powder, and pop in the oven. Once roasted, you’ll have a delicious snack!

Flower Centerpiece: Hosting that Halloween party again this year? Here’s an idea – carve out a pumpkin completely, and fill with flowers (or a vase holding flowers) for a pretty fall centerpiece that will get you lots of oohs and ahhs.

And of course, we can’t forget to add Pumpkin Bread to our list of favorite pumpkin uses. This recipe is great for baking your own loaf of the scrumptious bread, and if you don’t have time to run out and pick your own pumpkin, cans of pumpkin puree taste just as good, if not better!

What are you favorite ways to decorate, bake, or use a pumpkin during the fall season? Let us know in the comments below!