What To Do With Pumpkins

Once Halloween is over, what can you do with that glorious pumpkin creation? It does not matter if it graced your mantle in all its orange glory or was carved in a fanciful design, pumpkins can be used in other ways to meet their full potential.

Rather than adding them to our weekly trash collection, what can be a better choice? Relegating old jack-o-lanterns to a landfill places them in an anaerobic situation. There they can not break down resulting in methane. Here are a few option for our OLD pumpkins:

Compost

As gardeners, our first thought is compost. As pumpkins have a high water content, they will break down quite rapidly. Before adding them to a compost bin, remove any paint, wax, or marker, and cut the gourds into smaller pieces. You could even start a new neighborhood activity by hosting a "Smashing Pumpkins" party to ready the pumpkins for composting. Remove any seeds before you begin, or you will have a new pumpkin patch come spring.

Eat and Enjoy

Pumpkins that have been inside and are clean and uncarved can supply a significant boost to your daily vitamin intake. One cup of pumpkin puree supplies 200% of vitamin A, 20% of vitamin C and is a significant source of potassium. A six-pound pumpkin will produce about 2¾ cup of puree.

The puree becomes tasty pumpkin pies, soups, breads, and a myriad of other treats, while the washed seeds can be turned into delicious roasted snacks.

Make a Bird Feeder

Cut the pumpkin in half horizontally and fill it with bird seed, but do not use the pumpkin seeds in this mix. Again, make sure that any paint, wax or marker has been removed from the pumpkin. Hang it out for the birds to enjoy.

Save the Seeds for Sowing

If it is a unique fruit, you may seek to try to duplicate it in your garden. To save the seeds, rinse them, dry them completely in an open spot, and store them in a cool dry place to plant next spring.

Donate/Feed the Wildlife

Many zoos, animal shelters, or farms gladly accept old pumpkins to feed to their stock. Again, make sure the pumpkin is free of paint, wax, and marker. Towns may also have collections to add to local community garden compost projects.

If you enjoy nature in your own backyard, you can quarter the fruits and place them in areas that are often visited by wild neighbors. Make certain that you are not creating a new problem by enticing them to cross dangerous areas, visit your favorite plantings, or become a nuisance in the spots you have chosen.

Have Some Fun

How about the idea of pumpkin bowling? According to a “Better Homes and Gardens” article, one reader filled 10 water bottles and used the old pumpkins as the ball for a rousing game of Fall Bowling. Perhaps that could be combined with the smashing pumpkins idea for a wildly fun fall fest!