But they don’t have to be!
Did you know that over 8 million pumpkins end up in the bin each year in the UK alone, resulting in about 18,000 tonnes of food waste every year? (One Green Planet, 2020).
Scary, right?
This figure is increasing due to the popularity of pumpkin patches, with more and more places offering a pumpkin experience and insta-worthy photos.
Don’t get me wrong, the photos that you can get with the autumnal colours and seasonal veg do look beautiful but please think about the impact of getting a pumpkin.
Whilst carving, the flesh and seeds are often discarded. After carving, many pumpkins are thrown away. In fact, most people don’t even know that pumpkins are edible!
Pumpkins are food; there’s a multitude of both sweet and savoury recipes with pumpkin shining as the star ingredient.
You can find various recipes on the BBC Good Food website
I made a pumpkin spiced latte loaf cake (photos below). Fighting food waste and a delicious treat = a win-win!
You can even use the seeds. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals and are a great source of fibre. Roasting them with flavours such as paprika and chilli calls for an appetising snack. Find out how to use them here – https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/how-use-pumpkin-seeds
Once the Halloween celebrations are over, there are various ways to use up your pumpkin. Including:
– Use them as plant pots
– Compost them/Put into food waste bin
– Use as bird feed and food for wildlife
Halloween is a fun time for everyone; pumpkins don’t have to be haunting. By using all your pumpkin you’re helping to reduce food waste. Small steps make a big impact!
#EatYourPumpkin
Resources
http://https://www.onegreenplanet.org/environment/millions-of-pumpkins-are-wasted-during-halloween/
https://basc.org.uk/how-to-reduce-pumpkin-waste/
https://www.hubbub.org.uk/eat-your-pumpkin