The leaves are changing, the weather is finally cooling down and everything is pumpkin flavored. Not only is pumpkin a healthy food, but it makes a great decoration both inside and outside your home. When you're ready to do away with your pumpkin decor, you can use nearly every part of the plant to make something useful or edible. Let's dive in to how you can use your pumpkin with no waste.
The meat of the pumpkin
The best thing to do with the meat of the pumpkin is to make pumpkin puree. This is the same style of pumpkin that's sold in cans at the grocery store. Now, you can make your own!
- You'll need a food processor or blender to blend the pumpkin.
- The fresher the pumpkin, the better the puree will turn out.
- Check out the recipe for how to do this yourself!
The seeds
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Roast the seeds for a quick healthy snack.
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One of the best parts of roasting seeds is that you can decide how to flavor them. My favorite is with garlic powder but there are many options!
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Check out this list of pumpkin seed recipes.
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You can also set aside seeds to grow your own pumpkins later.
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When you grow your own pumpkins, you'll save money and personalize your pumpkin picking experience by having it in your own backyard.
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Check out this article for directions on harvesting and storing pumpkin seeds.
What to do with an inedible pumpkin
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Pumpkins are often used to make jack-o-lanterns. Of course, it's not going to work to eat your jack-o-lantern after it rots on your front porch. There are still ways to use your pumpkin even when it's past the edible stage.
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Pumpkins are compostable! They can be composted in either a backyard compost or in an industrial compost facility. If you want to learn more about composting, or need help setting up a backyard compost, check out the links above.
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