Pumpkin cake to making jewellery - 10 ways to use up your pumpkin after Halloween

Thousands of pumpkin lanterns bring to life every year across the UK - only for 18,000 tonnes of the distinctive orange gourds to be thrown away once their spooky role is over - the equivalent of 360 million portions of pumpkin pie!

If they are sent to landfill, they decompose and produce methane, an .

But there are plenty of ways you can reuse them, helping to keep your creative juices flowing and benefitting the environment at the same time.

Eat it

Instead of buying them, carving them and binning them after Halloween, you can turn pumpkins into plenty of “mouth watering - and quite healthy - meals”, says Birmingham City University's lecturer in Dietetics, Kiri Elliott.

Kiri adds: “People forget that pumpkins are actually food. But when you’re carving spooky lanterns for Halloween, you can easily recycle the seeds and flesh you scoop out to turn into something tasty.

“Pumpkins have a very high water content (of around 95 per cent) and are therefore lower in calories than lots of other vegetables in season at this time of year, so depending on the cooking method, tucking into pumpkin at mealtimes can be really helpful to those watching their energy intake.

“Pumpkin flesh provides a range of essential vitamins including vitamin A, and vitamin E and also a variety of minerals such as potassium and calcium. The profile of vitamins and antioxidants in pumpkin is related to its rich orange colour.”

Pumpkins can be turned into pumpkin pie, soup, risotto or even cake. You can also roast the seeds for a healthy snack.

Compost it

Composting your leftovers is a great way to recycle your pumpkin. Break down the pumpkin and leave it outside for birds and other animals to pick at.

Once the animals have finished, you can then put the remainder into your compost bin. By next year it will have become a rich fertiliser that will work wonders on your plants and flowers.

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Bury it

You can bury your pumpkin directly in the soil to break down and provide nutrients for your garden.

Cutting the pumpkin up first will help it to break down faster. Make sure you have removed the seeds before burying, or you may end up with your own pumpkin patch for the following spooky season!

Make a pumpkin feeder

A pumpkin bird feeder is a recycled Halloween jack-o'-lantern that can be filled with birdseed and hung in your yard to feed birds.

And it’s easier to make than you might think. Simply scoop the seeds and pulp from the pumpkin, and cut it in half around the midsection.

Insert two sticks into the pumpkin to create a perch for birds, and then poke four holes in the bottom of the pumpkin to thread a rope, string or ribbon for the hanger.

Poke some holes into the bottom for drainage, and then fill it with bird seed and hang it high up from the ground.

Make a plant pot

You can get crafty in other ways as well. Why not turn your pumpkin into a plant pot?

Transform a carved pumpkin into a short-term plant pot by filling with florists’ foam or soil (make sure to block up any carved-out bits first so it doesn’t fall out the side).

Then pop in your flowers or plants. Try to use plants that prefer shade, as keeping the pumpkin in sunlight will speed up its rotting.

Make jewellery

When you think of pumpkins, you probably don’t think of making jewellery from them. But it’s more simple than you might think.

Simply scrape out the seeds and give them a good clean. You can then colour them and thread them through elastic to create bracelets or necklaces.

Donate it

If you don’t want the hassle of dealing with your pumpkin, why not donate it? Check if a local farm, zoo or community garden is looking for donations.

Some charities and organisations will even offer free pick ups.

Dry it out

You can preserve your pumpkin for the following year if you take the right steps in drying it out.

Make sure you clean and disinfect it, dry the inside, pierce the bottom and remove the mould that forms during the drying process.

You can then store it in an airtight container to keep the moisture away.

Plant more pumpkins

You can use the seeds to plant more pumpkins for the following spring or even Halloween. If you plant them now, it’s likely they will be ready in time for spring, and then you can use them to make plenty of treats and meals for the family.

Or, save them for the following Halloween. You could have your own pumpkin patch if you’re lucky.

Cut up the pumpkin for wildlife

If you don’t want to eat your pumpkin, there’s plenty of wildlife that will! You can cut it up, and leave it out for them in your garden.

Or, if you would rather keep the animals away, head to your local woods and drop it off there. Just make sure there are no restrictions in your local area.

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