Are You an Active Senior? Then You Should Consider Living in Florida

Anyone who is an active senior or who is retired should consider settling in the “Sunshine State.” Not only can you hike, play pickle ball, or enjoy a game of golf, you can enjoy many of the activities that you did if you once resided in a state north of the semi-tropical locale.

The Halloween and Thanksgiving Holidays in Florida

For example, seniors enjoy picking pumpkins in the late fall. Many farms give you a chance to pick a pumpkin from the patch for making a pie or for carving a jack-o-lantern.

Picking a Pumpkin and Storing It

Pumpkin pickers know just the right pumpkins to spot and pick. For example, large pumpkins need to be chosen for carving whose base is not wobbly and whose stem is intact. Small pumpkins are generally selected for eating. The selected squash, or Cucurbita pepo, must be placed in a dark and cool place as well to keep it from getting soft.

Pepitas

Known as a natural cure for a snake bite, the pumpkin is also harvested for its edible seeds, which are called pepitas. Carvers often scoop out the seeds for later roasting while they’re creating a jack-o-lantern at Halloween. The seeds are a valuable source of nutrition, providing plenty in the way of protein, zinc, magnesium, and copper. The fruity squash is noted, as well, as being rich in vitamins A, B, and C. In fact, the nutritional value of the squash is so beneficial that diabetics often see a reduction in their glucose levels when they consume pumpkin flesh or seeds.

Pumpkin Oil

You can also extract pumpkin oil from the pepitas that you roast. The oil, which has a distinct flavor, is combined with other oils when it is used for meal preparation or for a salad dressing. The oil is also used in such dishes as pumpkin soup or is added, in some parts of the world, in potato salad. Like pumpkin seeds, the oil is considered nutritious and is helpful in reducing the risks associated with cardiovascular disease.

Veterinarian Recommended

Even the health of dogs and cats improves when they eat the flesh of the pumpkin plant. Veterinarians frequently suggest using the flesh of the pumpkin to relieve such digestive issues as diarrhea or constipation. The food is used to treat hairballs too. Because pumpkin is a fibrous food, it alleviates any problems along these lines. Pumpkin is even fed to chickens to increase the production of eggs.

Jack-O-Lantern Carving

The idea of carving a jack-o-lantern actually began with the Irish who used a turnip instead. However, immigrants who landed in America found the abundantly grown and larger pumpkin a better substitute. The carving of a pumpkin though was initially related to the fall harvest rather than Halloween. In addition, during the first part of the 20^th century, the act of carving a pumpkin lantern was associated more with Thanksgiving than with trick-or-treat-or-treat-activities.

Growing Pumpkins in Florida

Pumpkins grown in Florida patches like the warmth and sun so much that they refuse to grow if they are planted in the shade or near a large bush or tree. The soil should be rich in humus, or compost, grass clippings, leaves and manure. When the seeds are initially planted, they need a good drenching of water as well.

The Ideal Place to Grow the Plant

Therefore, pumpkins grow well in Florida as they need a long growing season. In fact, the plant originated in Central America, so Florida provides the ideal climate. Despite the fact that northern pumpkins are used for eating and decorating when there’s a chill in the air, the plants, while growing, cannot tolerate frost.

The Biggest Pumpkin Pie

While very large 1,000-plus pound pumpkins have been grown, large pumpkin pies have also been baked. The biggest pie of this kind registered five feet across and weighed in at approximately 350 pounds. The ingredient listing included 80 pounds of pumpkin, just over 35 pound of sugar, and 144 eggs. Baking time was about six hours overall.

Pumpkin Flowers Can be Eaten Too

Interestingly, pumpkins, when baked in colonial times, were added into a pie’s crust and not used for the filling. Besides being made into pies for Halloween and Thanksgiving, the food can also be used in recipes for soup, custard, cookies, and butter and bread. The flowers of the plant are edible too.

A Fun Activity to Plan with the Grandkids

Pumpkin picking allows seniors to take part in some fun outings with their grandkids. Wherever you live in Florida, you can visit farms that feature pumpkin patches and tractor-pull hayrides or haunted corn mazes during Halloween. So, you can really make a day of it if you take your grandkids to a pumpkin patch or farm during Thanksgiving or Halloween.

Fortunately, you are close to fun Halloween and Thanksgiving activities when you live in some of the master-planned communities in the Sunshine State, especially those designed for the 55+ set. You can find that special residence on the east coast of Florida at Tradition at Vitalia. The Port Lucie community is not only close to the beach but is near natural areas and farms. “Tradition,” indeed, is an appropriate name for the community as you’ll like celebrating such traditional holidays as Halloween and Thanksgiving there.

About Author: Thomas M. Bird is a grandfather and writer who resides in Florida. You can find out more about Retirement Communities In Florida by visiting the Tradition at Vitalia website at vitaliahomes.com. The community can also be contacted toll-free at 1-800-863-1954.