For me, the most tragic part of Halloween is that all those pumpkins go to waste! Assuming that your pumpkin hasn’t been hurtled into the middle of the street, there are several creative ways to reuse your left over pumpkin.
BENEFITS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Of the whopping 1.5 billion pounds of pumpkin produced each year in the United States,1 99% are used to make Jack-O-Lanterns.2 Although carving pumpkins might seem like a quaint, harmless tradition, the reality is that Halloween pumpkins are grown in a chemically intensive manner. Numerous fields are devoted to pumpkin growing prior to the Halloween season and the majority of North American pumpkins are grown with pesticide applications.3 Additionally, the great majority of these Jack-O-Lanterns end up in the trash after Halloween is over.4 The best way to cut down on this waste is tocompost the remains.
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Cost: Americans spend an estimated $5 billion dollars on Halloween costumes, candy, and decorations.5 The largest outlay is for trick-or-treating candies, but pumpkins do make up a fair portion of those expenditures. Given how much we pay for pumpkins, we ought to try to make the most of them. Most of the projects outlined below are free or very inexpensive.
Time and effort: Compared to the effort it takes to carve a pumpkin, the effort to salvage the rest of the squash is not too time-consuming. Many of the projects listed below are for baking, which usually takes between 15 minutes and 2 hours.
Nontraditional Uses for Pumpkins:
- Carved Pumpkin Air Freshener: Candles are all the rage around the holidays, but most of them are artificially scented with funky chemicals that create smells that are too strong for my taste. To make a natural, carved pumpkin air freshener, first cut off the top of a pumpkin and clean out the innards, just as you would before carving a face into a jack-o-lantern. Next, cut holes in the sides of the pumpkin for vents. Assuming that the jack-o-lantern you carved for Halloween doesn’t have that many gaping holes for facial features, there’s no reason why you couldn’t reuse that pumpkin rather than carving a new one. Once the holes are cut, rub cinnamon or your favorite pumpkin-pie spices onto the lid, or push cloves into it. Finally, light a non-scented candle in the bottom of the pumpkin. You should have a nice-smelling potpourri for several hours while the candle is burning.6 This won’t last forever, so make sure to compost your pumpkin when it’s on its last leg as an air freshener ☺
- Floating Pumpkin Candles: Ever see those adorable miniature pumpkins at grocery stores? I’ve finally found a use for them that goes beyond putting them on a shelf and admiring their smallness. To create floating pumpkin candles, buy six to eight of the 3″-4″ pumpkins, and the same number of votive candles. Cut out the circle in the top of each pumpkin so that a votive candle will fit into the hole snugly. Fill bowls or pails with water, light the candles and set the pumpkins in the water…watch them float.7 Again, these won’t last forever so make sure to compost when they appear to have had better days.
Spreadable and Edible Uses for Pumpkins:
If you carved a pumpkin this past October, the compost pile is unfortunately going to be your best bet for the leftover carvings. If you don’t already compost now might be a good time to set up a community recycling and compost program ! It is not advisable to use carved jack-o-lanterns for food or personal hygiene applications, as the inner flesh may dry out, spoil, or sour after sitting out for a day or two. Next year, though, you can have these ideas ready so that you can create something within a day or two of carving:
- Face Mask: It’s a shame to let all of that beta-carotene go to waste! Pumpkins are rich in enzymes and antioxidants that help remove dead skin cells and nourish your skin at the same time. Simply mix 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup solids from a can of coconut milk, and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon in a bowl. Apply to skin and leave on for around 10 minutes before rinsing off with water and patting your skin dry.10
- Pumpkin Biscuits: A great way to use the innards of a pumpkin is to make biscuits! You will need: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 cup plus 11/2 teaspoons of cold butter, 3/4 cup pumpkin gook, and 1/3 cup buttermilk. In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Then cut pieces equivalent to 1/2 cup of butter into the mixture until it is coarse and crumbly. Combine the pumpkin and buttermilk to stir into the crumb mixture until it is moist. Knead the mixture 8-10 times. Pat or roll out to 1-inch thickness and then cut this with a floured 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter. Place pieces 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake at 425° for 18-22 minutes until golden brown. Melt remaining butter and brush over biscuits.11
12Pumpkin Seed Brittle: Once you separate pumpkin seeds from those stringy guts, the first thing that probably comes to mind is toasted pumpkin seeds. Toasted seeds are a tasty fall classic, and they’re super quick to make (just pop them in the oven with a little oil). But why not be a little more adventurous with your pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seed brittle requires: 1 1/2 cups raw pumpkin seeds, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup light corn syrup, 1 cup white granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, all at room temperature. First, toast the raw pumpkin seeds until lightly brown. Then use a medium sized saucepan over medium high heat to bring the water, corn syrup, and sugar to a boil. Make sure to stir often with a wooden spoon. Once your concoction is boiling, stop stirring, insert a candy thermometer, and cook until the candy thermometer reads 285 degrees F. Quickly stir in the toasted pumpkin seeds and stir the sugar syrup until the candy thermometer reads 300 degrees F. Finally, remove the pan from heat and carefully stir in the baking soda, vanilla extract, and butter. Watch for the brittle to “puff up” and continue stirring until the foaming almost stops. Immediately pour the brittle, as thinly as possible (but do not spread), onto the buttered baking sheet. Let the brittle completely cool and then break into pieces. Enjoy right away or store in the freezer to prevent the brittle from becoming sticky.13- Pumpkin Ice Cream: Pumpkin ice cream is a delicious treat that can be made from all local ingredients! Try to use the darkest maple syrup available, preferably Grade C or B, as that will yield the most maple flavor. If you use local un-homogenized milk, let the jar settle for at least 8 hours in the refrigerator. After that, you can easily ladle the cream off the top and use it for this recipe. If you’re worried about using uncooked eggs, you can omit them (if you do, omit the milk also). Or you can easily pasteurize the eggs by heating them in 150° water for 5 minutes. 150° is right before small bubbles form at the bottom of the pan and when you can keep your finger in for just a second (a thermometer is obviously more objective). This won’t cook the eggs, but will kill potentially dangerous bacteria on the shell.
You will need 2 eggs, 1 cup maple syrup, 2 cups heavy cream, 1 cup milk, 1 cup of cooked and mashed winter squash or pumpkin, ¼ to 1 teaspoon of any or all: cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, ginger (optional). Whisk the eggs for 2 minutes in a large bowl until they get nice and fluffy. Continue whisking and add the maple syrup a little at time. After all the syrup is in, continue whisking for about another minute; 20-50% of ice cream volume is air, so whisking in this ingredient is really important! Stir in remaining ingredients until all ingredients are blended together well. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker of your choice and follow manual instructions for a delicious local ice cream. These portions should yield a generous quart of ice cream.14
The Great Pumpkin Ritual
If none of the above suggestions strikes your fancy, I recommend the Great Pumpkin Ritual. I recently came across this phenomenon, which was apparently very popular in the mid 1980s. Part prank, part love note, the Great Pumpkin Ritual is still practiced throughout some parts of New England. In October, teenagers (and adults) leave love (or friendship) offerings on each other’s lawns in the in the form of a pumpkin. You can leave one pumpkin, or two, or more, for your beloved, depending on how you like them. It’s a fun idea…you can leave a note or be mysterious.
