According to Hubbub’s great Pumpkin Rescue campaign 15.8 million pumpkins will go to waste this Halloween, carved but not eaten – that’s enough for 95 million meals!
To make the most out of your Halloween pumpkin ideally you want to decorate your pumpkin, rather than carve it. That way the pumpkin will be 100% edible well after Halloween is over. But if you prefer to carve, scrape out as much flesh as you can to cook straight away otherwise your carved pumpkin might rot before you know it. And don’t forget to toast the seeds to make a nutritious snack.
If your pumpkin starts to go off before you have a chance to use it, please put it in your home compost or your council’s food waste collection. (Please DO NOT leave it out for wildlife – it’s not good for them. See Forestry England’s advice here).
How to cook your pumpkin!
Pumpkins are versatile, great for both sweet and savoury dishes from pumpkin pie, pumpkin and parsnip battenberg cake to warm autumnal pumpkin soup (see recipes below). These are all delicious autumn dishes and zero waste so great for the environment.
What to do with pumpkin seeds
Roast your pumpkin seeds (see recipe below). This is such an easy and quick snack to have on their own or add to a salad. Pumpkins seeds are both a nurtritious, as they are rich in zinc, and tasty option.
Save the seeds from this year’s pumpkin to grow next year’s. Pumpkins are best grown in mid to late April in pots of compost indoors and then sown in a sheltered outdoor area in late May to early July.
Save your carved pumpkin and use it as a bird feeder. Fill the pumpkin with your leftover pumpkin seeds or bird food and hang outside for wildlife to enjoy.
Pumpkin Recipes
• Pumpkin Dahl – tasty dish with pumpkin, red lentils and curry spices that can be served with rice or flatbreads.
• Baked Pumpkin Fondue – lovely party dish where small pumpkins or squash are cut in half and filled with fondue.
• Versatile Pumpkin Lasagne – in oven or air fryer.
• Pumpkin Hummous & Grilled Cheese Sandwich
• Pumpkin mulled wine. Similar to the traditional mulled wine pumpkin and spices are added for a seasonal touch. You can even make pumpkin ale.
