Pumpkins – not just for Halloween, but for life

Well not for just throwing away and adding into landfill after the 31^st October
Driving home yesterday evening I saw lots of fabulous Halloween displays and people chatting to each other as they escorted their costumed children on a Trick or Treat tour. It reminded me of the positive aspects and community potential of Halloween, which can trace its roots back to the ancient Celtic Festival of Samhain 

You get a lot of negative stories around Halloween and the odd horror film, plus it is one of the many things that has been over-commercialised. So many shops sell a ridiculous amount of what can mostly described as plastic junk – Halloween crackers anyone?

One of the main features of this festival is the carved pumpkin, or Jack-O-Lantern. It is a great fun activity and some of the creations are outstanding.

However, in the UK alone we send around 18,000 tonnes of pumpkins to landfill each year, which is undoubtedly one of the scariest things about Halloween and completely unnecessary, as there are plenty of pumpkin possibilities:

You can eat them

What you don’t want to do is to try and eat a pumpkin that has been sat outdoors for a few days, often in the wet and attracting the interest of the local cats. 

However, there are plenty of recipes for the pulp and seeds you scrape out when you do your carving including roasted pumpkin seeds; pumpkin, pancetta and sage soup; pumpkin tray bake cake and Thai Pumpkin Curry.  

They help to make great compost

As the pumpkin is about 90% water it will break down really well and be a useful addition to your garden compost. For a bit of anger management therapy you can bash them around a bit before putting them in the compost, as this will help the process.

You don’t want to put the seeds in the compost bin or you will end up with lots of little plants, but there are plenty of uses for pumpkin seeds.

Birds like pumpkin seeds

Dry them out first. This will take about ten minutes in the oven at 180C/Gas 4. Obviously don’t add any seasoning; we’re not talking MasterChef here. They can go outside on their own or be mixed in with your other bird food, breaking some of them up for the smaller birds.

Many animals like pumpkins as well
Squirrels love pumpkins and so do lots of other wildlife including hedgehogs, deer and rabbits.

You can just leave it at the bottom of the garden or take it into a woodland area, just not with a lamp or candle still inside, or you will give the local wildlife and walkers a bit of a shock.

If you live near a zoo or wildlife animal rescue centre, it may be worth contacting them to see if they can make use of your old Jack-O-Lantern.

You can bury it

Not in a post-Halloween grand funeral kind of way, but rather as a great way to feed the worms and insects.

Cut your pumpkin into pieces and bury it about 25cm deep. Because of its high water content and the soil it will break down beautifully. 

The wee beasties will eat it, process it and poo it, which is great for the garden!

Just don’t throw it in a bin where it goes to landfill

At least make sure your old pumpkin goes into your green bin to be composted.

This is a lovely seasonal veg which is also very versatile. It is lots of fun to grow yourselves if you can, and there is certainly a bit of a competition every year at my allotments - this year I thought one was about to turn into Cinderalla's coach! 

If you don't have the time, space or inclination to grow your own then look out for local pumpkin picking events or take the opportunity to visit your local farm shop.