Fall in love with Harvest and all things Halloween

This year, I've grown a fair few pumpkins - quite successfully too!

Pumpkin is a versatile harvest produce, it can be used to cook both sweet autumn treats and hearty savoury meals. We all know pumpkin spice is a favourite flavor across the globe, but you can get creative with other spice blends and food combinations too of course.

Aside from using pumpkin for meals, we'll also be using some of ours for carving out those Jack-o'-Lanterns! If you aren't able to find a pumpkin, some use turnips and other root vegetables instead for carving them out.

There are many versions of how Jack-o'-Lanterns came about but one version tells us that Jack was getting chased by some villagers because he'd stolen from them. He met The Devil, who claimed it was time for him to die (charming!). Jack stalled his death by tempting The Devil with a chance to have the pesky church-going villagers who were chasing him. Jack told him to turn into a coin so he could pay for the stolen goods. 

The Devil agreed and turned himself into a silver coin and jumped into Jack's wallet. He found himself next to a cross that Jack had picked up in the village. As the wallet closed, the cross stripped the Devil of his powers - he was trapped!

Jack lets The Devil go once he agrees to never take his soul. Years later, the thief died. Now, Jack's life had been too sinful for him to go to heaven; however, The Devil had promised not to take his soul, so he was barred from hell as well.

Jack had nowhere to go. He asked how he would see where to go, as he had no light, and The Devil mockingly tossed him a burning coal, to light his way. Jack carved out one of his turnips (his favorite food), put the coal inside it, and began wandering the Earth for a resting place. 

He then became known as "Jack of the Lantern", or Jack-o'-Lantern.