Posted on October 26, 2021
4 Ways to Use Pumpkin Leftovers
Pumpkin carving always seems like such a good idea in the moment. You happily carve out two triangle eyes, that aren’t completely parallel, and a zigzag smile and all is great in the world. But then, you look down as the mess of orange slime that has now spread throughout your kitchen, onto the floors and … the walls? After cursing yourself for not setting up a Dexter-style tarp to catch all of the mess, here’s 4 ways you can scrape up the slime and make something out of it.
- Grow your own pumpkins
Pumpkin seeds are, surprise surprise, seeds. If you grew up in the UK, you probably grew beans or cress in paper towels and cotton wool when you were a child. Why not channel those skills into starting a new green project? Just add a few seeds to a pot of soil and water regularly and you should start to see a sprout emerge in a matter of days. They grow quickly and are a great way to add greenery to your space without having to spend money on a houseplant that will eventually wither away.
If you are looking to plant your pumpkin seeds outside, they are best shown in the spring. So, it is best to dry and store them for later planting.
- Feed the wildlife
Give a little back to your local wildlife this Halloween by sprinkling your leftover pumpkin seeds onto a bird table or shed roof for the squirrels, birds, and hedgehogs. Pumpkin seeds has a sweet taste that hedgehogs and squirrels really enjoy and can help them maintain fat during the winter months.
This is also a great way to dispose of your pumpkin after Halloween, just put it outside and let the animals get to work.
If you have small furries like rabbits, rats, gerbils and hamsters, you can also feed them pumpkin seeds and pulp. Feed it sparingly though, as it can have a slight laxative effect.
- Add them to recipes
If you are looking to add more seasonal produce to your recipe rotation, then experimenting with pumpkin seeds can be a great way to start. Use up some of the hundreds of seeds provided by our pumpkin and roast them with spices or blend them into hummus or pesto. They effortlessly add texture to dishes as well as an earthy taste. They are also quite nutritious. Pumpkin seeds have a high fat content but are also high in protein and are a good source of iron, phosphorous, potassium, magnesium and zinc.
Remember to shell the seeds before roasting!
The flesh of the pumpkin of course is also perfect for cooking with, pureed, to make soups and used to make pumpkin pie or even roasted and added as a side dish. Don’t forget the pulp as this can also be used to make seasonal stock, mixed with other vegetable scraps like onion skins and leftovers from food prep. Just pop it into a bag and store it in the freezer until you have collected enough scraps.
- Get crafting!
As an avid crafter myself, I couldn’t help but add this tip to the list. Anything that could be used for crafts, always ends up finding its way into the rotation at some point in time. Either use seeds as make-shift googly eyes by drawing on them with a marker or maybe dry them and use them to make a DIY rain stick. The options are endless and even if this just delays their journey to the bin, at least they may have provided you with some enjoyment along the way.
I hope this list helped to give you a few creative ideas for what to do with your pumpkin leftovers but if all else fails then just throw them onto the compost heap!
