Things to do with your pumpkin leftovers

In the last week, my Instagram feed has been bombarded with photos of people picking their pumpkins, carving pumpkins and showing off their best designs. It really makes autumn come alive and I love seeing how creative people get with their ideas.

However, a lot of people will buy the pumpkin and throw away all the insides from it as they carve it into a spooky decoration. There’s plenty you can do with the waste from your pumpkin, including lots of delicious recipes to get you into the Halloween mood.

Roasted pumpkin seeds

This is a really nutritious, healthy snack and great for sprinkling on salads and other dishes. It literally takes about 15 minutes to make.

Rinse the seeds to get rid of any pulp from the pumpkin and pat them dry with a paper towel. Add a little bit of oil and salt for taste and bake for 10 minutes at 180C. Add some herbs if there’s anything that you fancy. 

Pumpkin spiced latte

This just uses a little bit of pumpkin puree to really spice up your afternoon coffee. Save yourself a trip to the coffee shop by making your own homemade version of your favourite drink.

It doesn’t take that long to make either, view the recipe.

Pumpkin pie

I often think of this as an American Thanksgiving pie, but here in the UK, we can at least give the recipe a try. It’s great to use the leftovers from the carving rather than throwing it all away so it’s a perfect weekend activity with a delicious ending.

Bird seed

If you like carving pumpkins, but don’t like the taste, give it back to nature. Roast the pumpkin seeds (without the salt and herbs) and put them in a bird feeder for the robins and other winter birds.

Sometimes it’s a struggle for them to find food at this time of year, so you’ll have plenty flocking to your garden if you make them a tasty treat.

Compost

This is great for when Halloween is over and the carved pumpkin is starting to smell. Throw it in your compost heap and it will quickly decompose to give your garden plenty of nutrients for the coming year.

Image by Jill Wellington from Pixabay