How To Preserve Your Pumpkins

Fall means pumpkins, doesn't it? I am in my happy place when pumpkins arrive at our local farm stand, and in the markets too. I love placing the many different pumpkins we can buy these days in our garden, on the front steps, as well as inside. Do you? Today I'm sharing a super simple tip : How to Preserve Your Pumpkins so they stay fresh longer. I'm excited to work with Grove Collaborative today. I’m also going to show you how to get a natural products kit for FREE - because I care that you are using products in your beautiful home that don't have toxic chemicals. {This post contains affiliate links, and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.} I am such a fan of using pumpkins to decorate for fall. I love walking the streets here at home in Southern California, or in Europe {other years!} and seeing how people decorate their front steps and porches with pumpkins. I just bought a bunch of decorative pumpkins for our FrenchGardenHouse, and thought you might want to know a super simple tip I use to keep our pumpkins fresh longer. It's nothing earth shattering, and it's so easy. Most pumpkins {and gourds too} actually start to go soft and bad because of the dirt and mold that they pick up from the fields where they are grown. Mold spots usually start forming right underneath those dirty spots. The easy tip for keeping your pumpkins fresh longer, or how to preserve your pumpkins, is TO WASH THEM. I know. It's so easy it's almost embarrassing to mention it let alone write a post on it. But before I knew this, I just didn't k n o w to do that. Many people use a bleach mixture, but I use water and Mrs. Meyer's Soap. I'm highly allergic to cleaning products. It's why we hired our wonderful cleaning wonder Gina. Gina has been my cleaning miracle helper for many years, she worked for both my Mom and my aunt. When I began FrenchGardenHouse, I still had children at home, and I just couldn't do everything. So Gina was nice enough to come get our home into shape every two weeks. {she's basically the boss of me when she's here! And I love her.} Last year Gina got really, really sick. The doctor's were perplexed, she was literally wasting away, lost too much weight, was always tired, looked so pale, and had trouble breathing. Finally, she herself started a really clean diet, and took all chemicals out of her home. And she got better! Turned out she was highly allergic to bleach and cleaning products too. So we switched to all natural products. Gina asked all her clients to switch. She got better, completely, in two months! No lasting results. And I'm happy to say she waives the dust cloth around here and tries to boss me around every other week again. I am so grateful! I’ve always loved Mrs. Meyers cleaning products, I'll be honest, mainly for how they smell. Because I'm so allergic, and because our beloved Gina was almost at death's door literally, I also trust them to clean our home without toxic chemicals. A few years ago, I discovered GROVE Co., and now I order all my Mrs. Meyer's fall scents and other natural and non-chemical products from them, online. They are delivered to our home with the greatest speed and care. I'm pretty much obsessed with the apple cider scent, and basil is a close second {only because it's not a fall scent!} I urge you to give it a try. If you place your first order with them, they will send you a wonderful gift of some free products to try. {Who doesn't love that?} I signed up to be a VIP and for 19.99 a year always get free shipping. This is a special offer that you do not want to miss! I used the Mrs. Meyers Pumpkin soap to wash our pumpkins. In the sink, with a soft brush.

How to Preserve Pumpkins & Gourds

• • Prepare a mixture of warm water and Grove dish soap. {I use our kitchen sink}
  • Soak pumpkins for 15 - 30 minutes.
  • Use a dish brush to gently scrub off all dirt
  • Rinse, then dry well.

I am not sure how much longer your pumpkins will last, but at least a few weeks longer. It depends on the heat and humidity in your area, and what kind of condition they were in when you bought them. Our local farmer who owns the little farm-stand where I bought some of the pumpkins actually recommends polishing your pumpkins when they are completely dry with olive oil on a cloth and buffing them up. It brings out their natural color, and preserves them a bit too. Another tip is to spray each pumpkin with matte sealer, but only do this if you won't want to eat it later.

Have you tried Grove Collaborative?

They sell my favorite Mrs. Meyer's products, but also so many other natural products for your home, and for caring for you and your family, too. I love how these products look in my kitchen! I always keep a bottle of Mrs. Meyer’s hand soap and dish soap next to my kitchen sink. I also keep Mrs. Meyer’s multi-surface spray close by and literally use it all over my kitchen, especially these days. It works great on countertops, backsplashes, faucets, cabinet knobs, painted walls, and even my tile floors. I can literally clean my home top to bottom with just one product! {when Gina doesn't do it!}

When you place your first order of $20 or more, they will send you a healthy home kit.

I hope you give non-toxic cleaners a try from Grove. It's convenient, the prices are very good, and they sell lots of other great natural based products, I recently ordered special wipes for our high chair for our latest little person, and they are wonderful! Using natural non-toxic cleaning products is one of the best things {besides decorating with antiques } you can do for your beautiful home!

A BIENTOT

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