Local Homemade Halloween

Pre-molded plastic jack o'lanterns may be easier, but nothing says it's Halloween quite like a home-carved one made out of a real pumpkin. Field pumpkins are the classic choice - they are big, not too thick skinned so you can cut through the flesh, and relatively inexpensive. (They are not, however, delicious, which should be fine since you're not eating it.) For something different, decorate with Rouge Vif d'Etampes or Blue Hokkaido pumpkins.

• Pumpkin Carving Tips
• Jack O'Lantern Patterns
• Why Do We Carve Pumpkins?
• Self-Carving Exploding Pumpkin

Roasted pumpkin seeds are a fabulous snack, so when you're pulling out the seeds and "guts" from the pumpkin to carve it, be sure to save the seeds. They make an excellent, healthful way to get through an evening of trick-or-treaters.

• Roasted Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
• Candied Pumpkin Seeds Recipe
• Spicy Candied Pumpkin Seeds Recipe

Most of the United States won't have too much trouble finding locally grown apples for Halloween. The great thing about finding local apples, is it will probably be easy to move beyond Red Delicious and find some Delicious Apple Varieties.

• How to Set Up Bobbing for Apples
• Why Do We Bob for Apples?
• Candied Apples Recipe
• Caramel Apples Recipe

Doughnuts are a traditional Halloween treat (believed to be descended from "soul cakes" that were handed out long ago), and nothing - but nothing I say - beats a homemade doughnut. They take a bit of time, so I make them once a year. For Halloween.

• Homemade Doughnuts
• Whole Wheat Doughnuts
• Cardamom Doughnuts
• Sour Cream Doughnuts

Gooey treats are an important part of Halloween. Plenty of candies are plenty tricky to make at home, but marshmallows are just whipped egg whites (whites from fresh, local eggs will whip up best), a simple sugar syrup, and gelatin. Cut them into sweet scary ghosts if you have the cutter! Otherwise, chunky squares are just as fun to eat and can be wrapped in wax paper.

• Homemade Marshmallow Recipe