Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page.
As the movie industry continues to promote and profit from the darker side of Halloween, I much prefer the lighter side. It’s also a great time to see so many homes in our neighbourhoods doing some really creative displays for families to enjoy, even weeks before the trick-or-treating.
For me, it’s all about the evolution of the pumpkin as it changes its prime role of keeping evil spirits away.
Pumpkin spice lattes now appear in early September on coffee shop menus. Most Thanksgiving dinners end with pumpkin pies and the baking industry has created so many fabulous desserts with some form of tribute to the pumpkin that it’s hard to choose a favourite.
The most significant change, however, is its value in home décor.
Miniature pumpkin varieties are beginning to push gourds to the sidelines. Flat, deeply indented varieties like Jack Be Little and Jill Be Little, Crunchkin, and Pixie are all extremely hard-skinned and finish about 10 centimetres wide and five centimetres tall. Their white counterparts like Baby Boo, Casperita, and White Gooligan also make great table-toppers. There is also a very dark green, almost black, mini called Midnight but the showstopper is white-and-orange-striped Li’l Pump-Ke-Mon. When used together, they create beautiful tablescapes, windowsill decor and fruit bowl displays that last for months.
Emulating the fabled witches’ warts, there is a whole series of rather novel warted varieties. Warty Goblin and Mini-Warts have perhaps the most warts; it can be hard to see the pumpkin for the warts. Scarface is a big nine-kilogram
Read more on theprovince.com