You can't go anywhere right now without being boxed in by all things pumpkin...on every. single. shelf. It's in our coffee drinks, at our front doors, in our foods and, just generally, playing peek-a-boo everywhere you go. It's either the stuff of your nightmares or the stuff of your dreams.

Me? I'm on team pumpkin because it means that fall is here, and I love fall. Why limit yourself to just one outlet for pumpkin usage, though? There are some really unique things you can do with a pumpkin, and I'm not only talking about recipes. So without further ado, here are five ways you can use pumpkins!

1. Cook with pumpkins

Okay, okay. This is maybe the most obvious one, but you may be surprised as to what you can make using parts of the entire pumpkin. You have your more traditional things such as pumpkin pie and pumpkin bread of course, but did you know how many killer recipes there are that use this delightful autumn gourd as its star? Some ideas to plug into a google search bar:  

• Mac & Cheese

• FriesGrits

• Risotto

• Cobbler

• Donuts

• Cheesecake Bars

...to name a few...and remember when I said you could use the entire pumpkin? I wasn't kidding. You can use everything but the stem for something tasty.

2. Decorate with pumpkins

We have two holidays coming up that traditionally call for pumpkins. Halloween + Thanksgiving. There are literally thousands of ways you could parlay a pumpkin into a cool new decoration for your Camden apartment.

You could create a centerpiece on your table, use them as bowls for food at a gathering, and you can even use the pumpkin as a canvas for some serious artwork, i.e. instead of carving, paint it! Bonus benefit of the painting idea: an un-carved pumpkin lasts a lot longer than a carved one (8-12 weeks if healthy).

3. Bartend with pumpkins

That's right. You read that correctly. I am not kidding when I tell you that a Pumpkin Pie Martini exists and it uses fresh pumpkin puree just as you will find in many pumpkin baking and cooking recipes. Its existence alone gives you the perfect excuse to have a little get together at your apartment. You can blow all of their minds with this drink as well as other fall cocktails. You'll be the one they throw on their shoulders and lead off the football field. 

4. Spa with it.

It turns out that pumpkin is actually beneficial for your skin. It's packed with all kinds of vitamins and helps diminish those pesky little facial wrinkles. An at-home pumpkin facial mask is just what you need to wind down after a stressful day and fully let go. There are also many other DIY products you can make using pumpkin from foot scrubs to body scrubs and even hair treatments. Bring on the pumpkin!

5. Plant with it.

Using one as a planter is as ingenious as it is beautiful, and being that you can get white pumpkins, you can tailor them to match your style and decor perfectly.  You could even paint the pumpkin to give it extra oomph. Also, using the leftover bits or even the slowly rotting carved one for compost is a great way to dispose of it after you are done. Just cut it up and add it to planting soil and by spring...voila! You can plant your pots to your little heart's content.

Need ideas on what to do with the planting soil? Check out these awesome blogs on just that: How to Create and Herb Garden in an Apartment, 5 Awesome & Unique Balcony Decor Ideas, and 5 Chic Ways to Instantly Improve Your Patio.

Camden has the perfect apartments for you to cook, decorate, host, relax and garden in - so which one will you be doing when you move into your new apartment home?