Planet Pumpkin

The trick to reducing waste this Hallowe’en…

is to treat your family or friends to some spooktacular recipes which squeeze every bit of goodness out of your squash.

Pumpkin Facts

An estimated 24 million pumpkins are sold annually in the UK, 15 million of which are grown here. But the really scary statistic about Hallowe’en pumpkins is that, according to sources, 18,000 tonnes end up as waste or landfill each year – the equivalent in weight to 3,000 elephants. That’s just in the UK; imagine the global ecological impact of discarding millions of pumpkins (especially those not grown domestically). It’s horrifying!

Many of the pumpkins grown commercially for Hallowe’en are for carving, rather than eating, as the flesh is stringier and more watery. So it’s no wonder there’s so much waste. Climate change is a culprit too – pumpkins are getting bigger as a result of the weather. Unsurprisingly, this growth spurt means more waste from your super-size squash. Even worse if they are shipped or flown to our shores. Buy a locally grown edible pumpkin and you get the best of both worlds – a pumpkin you can decorate and devour! Win win – you get to enjoy the flavour and do the planet a favour.

With evil eyes and fiendish fangs your punked-up pumpkin might look scary on the outside, but it’s what’s on the inside that counts, right? Don’t discard the good stuff you scoop out when carving* your Jack O’Lantern, the seeds and flesh make a frighteningly good feast of sweet and savoury treats. Pumpkins are perfect for puree, pasta or pies, sensational in seasonal soups, cracking in a curry, magnificent in a muffin and fabulous as flatbread.

There’s been a significant growth in the number of customers searching online for pumpkin recipes, so hopefully consumer habits are changing. Still, the amount of pumpkins ending up in the trash instead of on the table is truly terrifying. 

As well as using these humble Hallowe’en heroes to feed your family, you can feed you garden with them too. Pumpkins are perfect for compost or burying in flowerbeds (break them up first for quicker decomposition and remember to remove any decorations, wax or seeds too).

Here’s some useful recipe links

Some tips

Cooking on a Bootstrap suggests making a recipe then making the leftover pumpkin into a puree that can be frozen then used in soups, bread, other recipes later)

Sandhya’s Kitchen notes the trick to great flatbreads with a sticky ingredient like pumpkin is to not over-knead the dough.

ScottishBeeCompany uses pumpkin puree.

You could make double the batch and freeze or share!

More tips:

• Buy locally grown edible pumpkins
• Only buy the number you really need
• Make a plan to use every bit of your pumpkin
• Seeds can be washed and roasted, the flesh can be used in many ways
• *Take care when carving – visits to A&E for cuts increase around Hallowe’en
• Try alternative eco-friendly ways to decorate your pumpkin – there are lots of ideas online
• After Hallowe’en, pop your pumpkin in your compost bin, not your rubbish bin
• Or break it in to pieces and add these to flower beds

When its doorstep days are done, don’t throw away your spooky pumpkin head; add it to your compost heap and treat your plants instead!

Happy Hallowe’en – Take Care (of yourself and the planet!)

Thank you to Paula Keay for her research.
Sources: Cooking on a Bootstrap, Sandhya’s Kitchen, Good Food, ScottishBeeCompany, BBC Food, Jamie Oliver thehappyfoodie.co.uk