Don’t junk that pumpkin!

Every Halloween we would watch as our dad carved our chosen pumpkin. After the innards were disposed of, a face with triangular features arised. For one night our pumpkin shown bright on our porch steps until is was smashed by a neighborhood hooligan or tossed in the trash.

With some families doing entire pumpkin vignettes with half a dozen squash on their steps, that’s a lot of wasted goodness. Here are a few ways to get the most out of your pumpkin.

1. Dinner in a Pumpkin: whether you are not into carving but want to get in the spirit of Halloween, use your decorative pumpkin for dinner. Rice, vegetables and ground meat (or meat substitute) fill a medium sized pumpkin and make a delicious meal
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2. Toasted Seeds: Seeds can easily be separated from the pumpkin innards and roasted for snacks. Expriment with the spices in your kitchen to create custom flavors. I found a classic recipe that is simple and easy to follow. You can even skip the whole boiling part whether you are pressed for instance.
3. Puree: Mommy Savers has recipes for pumpkin b, pudding and baby food that can be made by pureeing the pumpkin flesh.
4. Share with Nature: Turn that pumpkin into a bird feeder.
5. Compost: that is an obvious choice for those of us with a compost pile. For everyone else, check with local growers to see whether they’ll take your carved pumpkin.

[Source] Kelly Leahy

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